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DNA Data From California Newborn Blood Samples Stored, Sold To 3rd Parties (cbslocal.com)
schwit1 writes: "This might come as a surprise to California natives in their 20s and early 30s: The state owns your DNA. Every year about four million newborns in the U.S. get a heel prick at birth, to screen for congenital disorders, that if found early enough, can save their life." However, when those tests are done, the leftover blood isn't simply thrown away. Instead, they're taken to an office building and the DNA data is stored in a database. "It’s a treasure trove of information about you, from the color of your eyes and hair to your pre-disposition to diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer." And that's not the end of it: "The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is not the only agency using the blood spots. Law enforcement can request them. Private companies can buy them to do research – without your consent."
Standard herd-management practice; stop disrespecting your owners.
Law enforcement can request them. Private companies can buy them to do research - without your consent.
neccesarily means that
The state owns your DNA.
Surely it should be possible to establish that individuals own their DNA, particularly from the perspective of private companies that may want to buy them from the state. Lawsuit time?
No doubt they can patent anything interesting that they find in your blood.
You won't be the first whose DNA made millions for other people.
...omphaloskepsis often...
DNA is Data.
The EU/US Data Treaty and the US/Canada Data Treaty both give citizens of those countries, even if born in the US, data privacy.
I smell class action lawsuits.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
If they are doing this, there has to be a legal release form buried somewhere in the paperwork that people sign on admittance. There is no way a good medical lawyer would let this occur in a hospital that they were paid to represent, because of the possibility that people find out ten years later and crater the hospital with a class action lawsuit.
Of course, any pregnant woman admitted under emergency circumstances might not have had a chance to sign the papers before it is done..it seems that if this is true, someone is going to get sued for a lot of money over this.
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
they still can't patent discoveries. Now, synthetic DNA yes, you can patent that. But then you didn't discover that, you made it. Although the problem with that is at what point did you 'discover' it or just make something naturally occurring...
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If the DNA information is just collected and stored anonymously, with no record of WHOSE DNA it is, I don't think it's a problem. It's useful for compiling statistics and doing studies. However, if law enforcement is interested in this data, it sounds like they are actually keeping track of who the DNA sample came from. Just make it anonymous.
Eventually we will see a national DNA registry. Something like this will be how it starts.
Actually, it started back in the late 90's with the D.A.R.E. program. Local law enforcement goes around to all the Grade Schools each year, and hands out a bunch of "Your children will be kidnapped and brutally raped, tortured, and killed unless..." literature. They use it to convince the parents to provide DNA (via mouth swabs), fingerprints, and photographs, and stuff it all into a "black" database. Which database is this? Well, it's the national LE database of course, where it lives forever.
From TFA: "And CDPH says the blood spots are de-identified and can’t be tracked back to the child." I don't see the issue here. This helps with medical research.
I do believe I have a right to be secure in my person, papers, etc against an unreasonable search or siezure...
A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
How quaint. Show us your buckled shoes! Stick your foot thru the Freedom Cage (TM) bars.