California Considers DNA Privacy Law

ananyo writes "California lawmakers are weighing a bill aimed at protecting their state's citizens from surreptitious genetic testing but scientists are voicing their growing concerns that, if passed, such a law would have a costly and damaging effect on research. The bill, dubbed the Genetic Information Privacy Act, would require an individual's written consent for the collection, analysis, retention, and sharing of his or her genetic information—including DNA, genetic test results, and even family disease history. The University of California has submitted a formal letter objecting to the bill, estimating that the measure could increase administrative costs by up to $594,000 annually — money which would come out of the cash-strapped state's General Fund. The university has also expressed concern that its researchers would suffer competitive losses in obtaining research grants."

Comments

Re:The world's tiniest violin plays for UCLA

[wrook]

I have no problem with researchers using my data to help with their research. I *do* have a problem if they receive a patent based on my data. I'm quite happy to have them do whatever research they want, but I don't like the idea that they will get exclusivity for something that was derived from something I gave them for free.

Can we have a copyleft for our medical data? You can use it, but only if the result is free (as in freedom) to use.