Vast DNA Bank Pits Policing Vs. Privacy

schwit1 writes "Today a Washington Post story discusses the vast U.S. bank of genetic material it has gathered over the last few years. Already home to the genetic information of almost 3 Million Americans, the database grows by 80,000 citizens a month." From the article: "'This is the single best way to catch bad guys and keep them off the street,' said Chris Asplen, a lawyer with the Washington firm Smith Alling Lane and former executive director of the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. 'When it's applied to everybody, it is fair, and frankly you wouldn't even know it was going on.'"

I disagree...

[sedyn]

"This is the single best way to catch bad guys and keep them off the street"

No, the single best way to keep bad people off the street, is to not allow ANYONE onto the street. But that has its drawbacks too...

A much worse concern

[Kohath]

There's a much worse privacy concern.

Did you know that whenever you touch anything with your hand, you leave a unique mark on the thing you touched? This mark can be examined to identify you and track where you've been! Everywhere you've been.

It's a privacy nightmare. Where's the ACLU on this?

Re:Frightening

[kfg]

I have never been indicted nor found guilty of any crime. . .

Until now, refusnik. We'll be watching you.

KFG

Re:Bad guys?

[Anonymous Coward]

How is rehashing a small part of the parent post in another language considered "insightful?"

Who's gathering it?

[Robotech_Master]

Today a Washington Post story discusses the vast U.S. bank of genetic material it has gathered over the last few years.

Wait...the Washington Post has been gathering genetic material?

Re:Frightening

[Anonymous Coward]

Compulsory DNA database? Pffffft. I'm glad I'm Irish, and not for the first time.

I'm not sure what you're saying.

Either you're from Ireland and this doesn't apply to you.

Or you're from the U.S. and are saying that you Irish types are so inbred that a DNA database that can bring up relatives would be useless.

Re:Frightening

[Anonymous Coward]

Or that he's Irish twice. Or even more than that. Maybe three times.