Gid1 - Slashdot User

+ - UK Police retains DNA data despite promise not to-> 0

Submitted by

redalien

on Monday March 01, 2010 @08:49AM

redalien writes "In 2008 I invited two policemen into my home and voluntarily gave them a DNA and fingerprint sample to help with a murder investigation, as they'd promised it would only be used for that investigation. I was never under any suspicion and could just as easily have said no. Almost a year after the investigation closed they have now confirmed that they've retained my samples and at my request have begun an investigation to see if there are sufficient "exceptional circumstances" to remove them.

I'm not the only one that was told samples would be removed, so if you've had such a promise from the police I recommend contacting their data protection registrar immediately."
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Comment: Re:Why voting machines? (Score 1) 240

by Gid1 on Friday March 10, 2006 @08:01PM (#14895388) Attached to: Maryland Votes To Ban Diebold Voting Machines

Mmm... one nice thing about the UK's way of doing things is that the media embargoes results and exit polls until after the last poll has closed. I'm not sure whether this is a voluntary thing by the media, or whether it's a legal embargo, but it's really in everyone's interests.

Of course, this is much easier to do with only one time zone, as all the polls open and then close at the same time.