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

Posted by msmash on from the up-next dept.

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.'

4 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. "evidence" by paai · · Score: 5, Insightful

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

    Paaia

  2. Re:Is this different than a human "expert witness" by Baron_Yam · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  3. It makes more sense theoretically than practically by CustomSolvers2 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One thing is having access to the source code and a completely different story is properly analysing it. When dealing with something as complex as (probabilistic!) DNA sequencing, it seems quite clear that the most sensible way to validate the program is actually using it. Set up a proper benchmark with a relevant number of samples and confirm whether this (+ any other) program works exactly as expected. This would also be an excellent way to objectively assess its accuracy.

    --
    Custom Solvers 2.0 = Alvaro Carballo Garcia = varocarbas.
  4. Re:There needs to be testing and validation... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 5, Informative

    Disagree. Bad code can cause normal behavior 99% of the time, abnormal 1% of the time. See also, THERAC-25.