Compulsary National DNA Database System

Article

UK National DNA Database - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This was an issue that came up the UK some time ago in the media, but eventually the idea was put down due to public resistance and other ethical matters. I have yet to read up more about this and the history of such a system, but my main question to you all is this.

Question: Should everyone be enlisted on such a database at birth/upon entering the country, criminal or not?

Is it a intrusion of civil rights, something that could lead society down the Big Brother state? What potential abuses could there be to such a system? What pros and what cons exist, and would such a system help in this increasingly violent world?

Personally: I'd be all for it, and I believe the only real reason to fear such a system would be if you wished to have a better chance of escaping justice if you were planning on murdering, raping or commiting crimes in the future. If somebody was attacked seriously and DNA from the attacker was left behind, if such a system existed, it would be easy to input the biological data and bring up the main suspect who did it within hours, as opposed to weeks of searching suspicious individuals who might fit the attacker's profile.

I can understand the notion of people disliking automatically being on a 'criminal' database system, but taking away the negative values of such a system and to make it merely an informational system where it can clues to identifying criminals before they go on to commit more crimes, identifying seriously injured people who may be incapable of communication and may have relatives looking for them, or identifying missing persons could be extremely helpful in different ways. I don't understand how such a system could be abused in anymore ways that other systems are subject to currently. Would people try and synthesize your DNA to plant at crime scenes or something? Truly an idea worthy of a blockbuster/novel not unlike Minority Report.

There's the article. Discuss the implications of such a system and explain if you agree with it or not.

I personally have no objection to something like this. Why should I? DNA could be considered personal. But if they believe this then they would be very careful in what they do. Afte all it wouldnt be hard to obtain your DNA after you take a sip from a cup, use a spoon/fork, even spitting/blowing your nose.

I have not read the article, i just figure if the Govermant wants my DNA they could have it.

I'd be willing to have my DNA put on file if i was asked, just as long as the information was used to help solve crimes only then it would be ok, just like being an organ doner or giving blood.

DNA is very easy to get: Just dig through a trash can. Hair and skin samples, mucus, and flecks of blood on a bandaide. If there's a way to abuse such a thing, then people already have opportunities to do it. The government having a tiny tube of your blood inside some huge cold storage warehouse won't raise the risk by much.

I don't care to read the article, but I certaintly don't have a problem with this. If anyone has a huge problem with other people having their DNA, I hope they burn every piece of waste they come into contact with. Otherwise the argument is moot.

Yeah, we've had such a debate here too, but people are all like: " oh no, the government are violating my right to be free" or some **** like that. It's not like anyone can have a check-up on your DNA, only police would have access.

We could save so much money and time when fighting crime, so it would easily cover the costs of such a project. So I can't see why it hasn't been done yet.

I'd be inclined to support it.

Short of governments creating fake DNA based off of yours in order to frame you it's not really going to be possible to abuse this. (Or rather, not possible to abuse this as far as I can see)

Unless you're an avid reader of the Daily Mail, I'm not sure why anybody would find this as being some terrible threat to their personal security. Although these are the people who're convinced that Britain is being over-run by asylum seekers and that London is being transformed into downtown Tehran.

My main issue with it is how much money would it cost to set the system up and maintain, and how effective is it going to be. The British Governments would struggle to organise a Bar Mitzvah in Israel, so how they'd manage to run something like this effectively is beyond my simple mind.

It all sounds like a rather pointless scheme that will have grotesque amounts of money pumped into it with very little gains.

There are more pressing issues that deserve the money more IMO.

Float your yawn.

Having your DNA on record would not only be harmless to you, but if you are accused you can prove otherwise. There is really no downside to having this. I mean what could be a problem with it?

A similar system was proposed here in Australia recently. We already store DNA from people that have been convicted of a crime (I think) or that have shown to be guilty.
I think everyone here is fine with that, it's the idea of their DNA being added to the same database that is used to store and identify criminals' DNA that disgusts people.
I personally don't have a problem with it, as long as I don't break the law nothing bad is going to come of my DNA being stored in a national database.

I really wouldn't want my DNA on any database, I really don't like the idea of being a potential suspect of a crime and anyway DNA isn't without it's flaws for instance people can transfer DNA through cloths and stuff like that which means that your DNA could end up at a crime scene that you had nothing to do with.

Sure, but how would not having a DNA registry stop that from being a problem?

Originally Posted by GDwarf

Sure, but how would not having a DNA registry stop that from being a problem?

Yeah I guess that it wouldn't but I still wouldn't want my DNA on a database it just seems like another way for the govenments to stop us from being free, not that we are free but it adds to our lack of freedom.

How? You can't create DNA from a record, you can't clone a person from recording their DNA sequence, the most you can do is see if their DNA matches the DNA found at a crime scene.

A DNA database is only a threat to people who have something to hide. It's that simple.

Well, currently, yes. Which is certainly why I support it.

Of course, the day that you can make synthetic DNA is the day it starts being a problem. Of course, that's a long, long, long way in the future, and hopefully when that does happen added safeguards will be put in place.

Yes maybe It would help solve crimes but I just don't like the idea but I guess I would be benificial but I still dissagree with it.

It just seems to me that someone working with the system, having access to your DNA, could use it to be planted at crimes and all manner of bad things.

That's currently not a concern, Ogmios, but yes, in the semi-distant future it could be a problem. However, the same can be said for fingerprints, really.

So what happens when we all rely fully on our DNA database to solve our situational crimes, and then we make a mistake? Given that we will all believe that DNA testing is incontrovertible (it is NOT), I guess it will simply suck to be at the butt end of it all.

DNA testing is helpful, but it is NOT the same as direct witnessing, photographic evidence, etc. I don't really see any problem with this system, as long as people realize that simply because your DNA appears to be somewhere doesn't necessarily mean you were there or that it was your DNA.

John Schneeberger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fun.

Originally Posted by Kedsy

So what happens when we all rely fully on our DNA database to solve our situational crimes, and then we make a mistake? Given that we will all believe that DNA testing is incontrovertible (it is NOT), I guess it will simply suck to be at the butt end of it all.

DNA testing is helpful, but it is NOT the same as direct witnessing, photographic evidence, etc. I don't really see any problem with this system, as long as people realize that simply because your DNA appears to be somewhere doesn't necessarily mean you were there or that it was your DNA.

John Schneeberger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fun.

Wow, that's gross. And he only got six years? Canada sure is liberal. In the U.S., he might've been put away for life.