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Notice: GeekPress is back up and running, thanks to Paul! It's still a not-so-serious tech news blog, but the format is significantly looser. Diana, having given up programming for philosophy, has her own philosophical blog NoodleFood. More of her work can be found at DianaHsieh.com.

 

Proposal made to put all Britons in DNA database

3:27:45 am mst / 19 February 2001 found by paul / filed in legal / source The Times 49 hits / 4 comments / 0 e-mails

Sir Alec Jeffreys, noted expert in DNA fingerprinting, is now proposing that all Britons be registered in a nation-wide DNA database. He claims that the needs of the government to fight crime should outweigh privacy concerns.

If this is being seriously considered in the UK, how long will it be before a similar proposal is made in the US?

Comments

This comment board has been retired.

It won't happen in the US, unconstitutional by MysteriousStranger 7:58:36 am mst / 19 February 2001 / # 1

They've effectively already dealt with this issue here when they decided that they couldn't routinely fingerprint everyone. They can only take your fingerprints if you're arrested. But in the UK there's no constitution and legally the government can do anything it wants. The only limit on it is its decency. ---Steven C. Den Beste

Tabs On Us by MysteriousStranger 9:44:14 am mst / 19 February 2001 / # 2

ok, so it is a clear representation of Big Brother thinking...however, the only ones that will be nervous are criminal types upset that they cant easily commit a crime anymore... I am a American living in the UK and value my individual freedom however I do know that this is necessary for progression of our culture...and in this respect...is welcomed by me...slightly less freedom for far more security and well being.

Freedom and Security by MysteriousStranger 1:44:48 pm mst / 19 February 2001 / # 3

Thomas Jefferson said that "Those who trade freedom for security deserve neither."

minor correction and additional information by MysteriousStranger 12:25:41 am mst / 20 February 2001 / # 4

The quote above is actually by Benjamin Franklin, not Thomas Jefferson. I heard a couple years ago, that there was already a move to do this in one of the northern European countries (Norway maybe?) but for scientific population research. Fortunately, they also included an opt-out method. I don't think it could happen in the US. They can't even get national driver's licenses because of constitutional concerns. That alone should provide us our privacy for a while longer at least.