This Impenetrable Program Is Transforming How Courts Treat DNA Evidence (wired.com)

mirandakatz writes: Probabilistic genotyping is a type of DNA testing that's becoming increasingly popular in courtrooms: It uses complex mathematical formulas to examine the statistical likelihood that a certain genotype comes from one individual over another, and it can work with the subtlest traces of DNA. At Backchannel, Jessica Pishko looks at one company that's caught criminal justice advocates' attention: Cybergenetics, which sells a probabilistic genotyping program called TrueAllele -- and that refuses to reveal its source code. As Pishko notes, some legal experts are arguing that Trueallele revealing its source code 'is necessary in order to properly evaluate the technology. In fact, they say, justice from an unknown algorithm is no justice at all.'

Comments

"evidence"

[paai]

As Terry Pratchett wrote somewhere: "Evidence means 'that what is seen'". Nuff said.

Paaia

Re:Is this different than a human "expert witness"

[Baron_Yam]

You have the right to face your accuser, which includes examining the evidence against you. This is secret evidence. It amounts to "because we say so", and should not be tolerated.

A software bug you're not permitted to look for could send you to jail. At least with a human expert witness you can cross-examine them.