Paul Hardwick: DNA/Genetics

Administrivia: Possible unscheduled upgrade of Privacy Digest

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 01:39:04 GMT

Administrivia: Possible unscheduled upgrade of Privacy Digest.

I might be implementing an unscheduled upgrade of the site due to some problems with the software I am currently using to run the site. I had been working on upgrading the software to implement some new features but may have to implement sooner than originally planned. If you would like to take a peek at the planned software take a visit to http://www.PrivacyDigest.com/index.php Yes the full URL will have to be entered until I have completed the switch over.

There may be some hiccups during the process as the XML/RSS location will change along with access to the sub-topics. I plan to create mod-rewrite rules to take of this but they may not all be ready on day one.

Please let me know what you think.

The dangers of DNA testing

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 17:15:40 GMT

DNA testing is in the news a lot these days, and not solely because of the saga of Anna Nicole Smith, whose burial was delayed amid a legal tussle over the paternity of her 5-month-old daughter, Daniellyn.

The growing success in obtaining convictions by genetic matching (since the O.J. Simpson trial anyway) has made it the preferred identification technology for law enforcement, as well as by other federal agencies. The U.S. military requires every serviceman to give blood for future DNA analysis, presumably for body identification.

States are among the most aggressive users of DNA testing. The New Jersey Supreme Court recently upheld a Garden State law requiring DNA testing of all felons, with the results maintained in a state database and submitted to the FBI.

Other states that have initiated extensive DNA collection policies include Virginia and Arizona -- the latter tests, collects, and stores the results not only from convicted felons but also from most people who are simply arrested for a felony. Florida is now considering collecting DNA from everyone convicted of a felony, as well as from those found guilty of certain misdemeanors.

Municipalities are climbing onto the DNA testing bandwagon, too. A blood bank in Seattle has begun collecting and analyzing DNA from donated blood without obtaining explicit permission, although donors may opt out. The program is funded by the U.S. military. To protect the privacy of donors, the Puget Sound blood bank labels the samples with codes instead of printed names. For the record, that's not a very secure strategy.

Race Traces

A little-noticed provision in the recently passed Violence Against Women Act may soon trigger the largest sweep of DNA information in this country. The Justice Dept. plans to collect DNA from anyone arrested or detained by federal agents. This will, by definition, include all illegal immigrants.

The increasingly widespread use of DNA testing opens a Pandora's Box of privacy issues. Technicians can extrapolate information about a person from the sample of their brother or son. In Houston last year, a man's conviction of rape was partially based on DNA evidence collected from his twin brother.

And the process isn't without its bizarre anomalies. For example, people who have received bone-marrow transplants can in certain cases match the DNA of a donor.

Administrivia: Now we have a overheated CPU ( 60 degrees centigrade )

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 23:39:01 GMT

OK, if the DDOS attack wasn't enough. Now our server went down with a temperature overload. We were up to 60 degrees centigrade when we shut down. The CPU and a broken fan have been replaced.

Administrivia: Our data-center was hit by a DDOS attack today.

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:19:59 GMT

Sorry for being either very slow or off the net for a while recently. The data-center we are part of was hit by a DDOS (Distributed Denial Of Service) attack recently. At the moment it looks to be under control, but we are keeping an eye on things.

U.S. Set to Begin a Vast Expansion of DNA Sampling - New York Times

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 18:38:44 GMT

The Justice Department is completing rules to allow the collection of DNA from most people arrested or detained by federal authorities, a vast expansion of DNA gathering that will include hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, by far the largest group affected.

The new forensic DNA sampling was authorized by Congress in a little-noticed amendment to a January 2006 renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides protections and assistance for victims of sexual crimes. The amendment permits DNA collecting from anyone under criminal arrest by federal authorities, and also from illegal immigrants detained by federal agents.

Over the last year, the Justice Department has been conducting an internal review and consulting with other agencies to prepare regulations to carry out the law.

The goal, justice officials said, is to make the practice of DNA sampling as routine as fingerprinting for anyone detained by federal agents, including illegal immigrants. Until now, federal authorities have taken DNA samples only from convicted felons.

The law has strong support from crime victims' organizations and some women's groups, who say it will help law enforcement identify sexual predators and also detect dangerous criminals among illegal immigrants.

[...]

While the proposed rules have not been finished, justice officials said they were certain to bring a huge new workload for the F.B.I. laboratory that logs, analyzes and stores federal DNA samples. Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said they anticipated an increase ranging from 250,000 to as many as 1 million samples a year.

The laboratory currently receives about 96,000 samples a year, said Robert Fram, chief of the agency's Scientific Analysis Section.

[...]

"What this does is move the DNA collection to the arrest stage," said Erik Ablin, a Justice Department spokesman. "The general approach," he said, "is to bring the collection of DNA samples into alignment with current federal fingerprint collection practices." He said the department was "moving forward aggressively" to issue proposed regulations.

The 2006 amendment was sponsored by two border state Republicans, Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona and Senator John Cornyn of Texas. In an interview, Mr. Kyl said the measure was broadly drawn to encompass illegal immigrants as well as Americans arrested for federal crimes. He said that 13 percent of illegal immigrants detained in Arizona last year had criminal records.

[...]

The F.B.I. also loads DNA profiles from local and state police into the federal database and runs searches. Only seven states now collect DNA from suspects when they are arrested; of those, only two states are authorized by their laws to send those samples to the federal database.

[...]

Many groups warned that the measure would compound already severe backlogs in the F.B.I.'s DNA processing. Mr. Fram of the F.B.I. said there had been an enormous increase in the samples coming to the databank since it started to operate in 1998, but no new resources for the bureau's laboratory. Currently about 150,000 DNA samples from convicted criminals are waiting to be processed and loaded into the national database, Mr. Fram said.

US Set on Expansion of Security DNA Collection.

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 18:28:59 GMT

US Set on Expansion of Security DNA Collection. An anonymous reader dropped us a link to this New York Times article about a 'vast expansion' of DNA sampling here in the US. A little-noticed rider to the January 2006 renewal of the 'Violence Against Women Act' allows government agencies to collect DNA samples from any individual arrested by federal authorities, and from every illegal immigrant held for any length of time by US agents. The goal is to make DNA collection as routine a part of detainment as fingerprinting and photography. Privacy experts and immigrant rights groups are decrying this initiative already. Many are also skeptical of lab throughput, as FBI analysts indicate this may increase intake by as much as a million samples per year. There is already a backlog of 150,000 samples waiting to be entered into the agency's database. [Slashdot: Your Rights Online]

Detainee DNA may be put in database - USATODAY.com

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 04:14:06 GMT

WASHINGTON -- The federal government could add DNA from tens of thousands of immigration violators, captives in the war on terrorism and others accused but not convicted of federal offenses to the FBI's crime-fighting database under a plan being finalized by the Justice Department.

Erik Ablin, a Justice Department spokesman, confirmed the plan, which hasn't been publicly disclosed, and said details are expected to be completed soon.

Proponents of the plan, including U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio, say taking DNA from federal detainees would solve many crimes committed by illegal immigrants and make it easier to identify and track potential terrorists.

Opponents, such as Caroline Fredrickson, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington office, say such mass seizures of DNA violate privacy and do little to improve law enforcement.

Fredrickson says the law that defines federal detainees is so broad that it could apply to hikers stopped by park rangers or airline passengers selected for screening. Authorization for taking the DNA was included in a bill reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act that President Bush signed last year.

The DNA samples, which contain an individual's unique genetic code, would be compared against genetic profiles from 3.9 million criminals and 157,000 unsolved crimes held by the system of federal and state DNA databases that the FBI administers. The FBI says its system has aided more than 41,000 criminal investigations since 1990.

DNA from federal arrestees and detainees would be held on a computer index, enabling law enforcement to track illegal immigrants who return after being expelled from the USA or who commit crimes after being released. War-on-terrorism detainees, who often use aliases, could be positively identified by DNA and linked to evidence seized at suspected terrorist sites.

Proposal expands DNA use by police - S.C. program would be nation's most-aggressive - Post and Courier | Charleston.net

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:11:48 GMT

COLUMBIA - Police would have the power to seize DNA samples from anyone arrested for a crime - from shoplifting to murder - under legislation proposed by state lawmakers.

The measure would provide South Carolina with the most aggressive DNA sampling program in the nation, allowing authorities to collect a person's genetic profile for even petty offenses before he or she is tried for the crime.

Senate Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said the proposed legislation is part of a package of bills aimed at cracking down on increasing violence. Maintaining a bank of DNA samples will help police solve cases quicker and aid in the investigations of cold cases while also ensuring the falsely accused aren't prosecuted for crimes they didn't commit, he said.

Some civil rights advocates are afraid the legislation on DNA sampling goes too far, although McConnell said it has safeguards built in to ensure constitutional rights are protected.

Barbara Joslin of Charleston, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, said the organization stands against DNA collection unless DNA is part of the crime scene evidence. Otherwise, it's seen as a privacy offense and a steady decline of rights, she said.

[...]

Still, the bill would take South Carolina farther along this road than any other state. The federal government and seven states currently allow DNA samples to be taken from suspects at the time of arrest. But those states, which include California, Louisiana and Virginia, limit it to specific violent offenses or felony arrests, said Lisa Hurst, a government-affairs consultant with DNAResource.com, which tracks DNA usage by law enforcement.

New York recently enacted a measure requiring DNA samples in connection with a wide array of misdemeanor offenses, but the offender has to be convicted first, Hurst said.

[...]

"It is no more invasive than fingerprinting," McConnell said. "What could be wrong with it? I don't see where it infringes on anyone's rights. I see a tremendous amount of benefit for the law-abiding public."

Charleston School of Law professor Miller Shealy, a former federal prosecutor, said DNA technology has become widely accepted and that the courts commonly allow its use in criminal cases. But the courts have yet to weigh in on whether genetic material can be collected routinely during the booking process just to maintain a crime-solving database, he said.

"Can you just automatically get it? That's a line the courts have not officially ruled on yet," he said.

South Carolina's samples helped feed the national DNA databank overseen by the FBI.

Computers, Freedom and Privacy - Montreal, May 1-4 2007

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:41:06 GMT

Come to CFP2007 in Montreal, May 1-4 2007. There's a lot at stake.

Home Office bumps up innocents on DNA Database.

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:16:22 GMT

Home Office bumps up innocents on DNA Database.

Eight times figure previously announced

Less than two thirds of people whose profile is stored on the National DNA Database are there for having been cautioned or convicted of a criminal offence, Home Office figures have revealed.

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

Internet DNA test kits could land you three years.

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 01:10:40 GMT

Internet DNA test kits could land you three years.

Unless you work for UK.gov

Analysis The UK government granted us ownership of our own DNA yesterday with the launch of the new Human Tissue Act.

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

Wired News: Selective Breeding Gets Modern

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 01:49:23 GMT

Genetically modified food has gotten a chilly reception from consumers, especially in Europe and Asia. Just last week, Japan suspended imports of American long-grain rice after authorities discovered that a genetically modified variety had accidentally mixed with conventional rice.

To skirt such problems altogether, biotech companies are creating superior plants using genetics technology that is advanced but which falls short of grafting genes from one organism into another.

"GE (genetically engineered) crops are legal (in Europe), but they don't sell them anywhere," said Doug Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist with the Center for Food Safety. "Companies say people won't buy them."

Dodging the Negative Reaction To GE Crops.

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 01:43:17 GMT

Dodging the Negative Reaction To GE Crops. BINC writes "Wired has an article up today entitled 'Selective Breeding Gets Modern.'" From the article: "Genetically modified food has gotten a chilly reception from consumers, especially in Europe and Asia. Just last week, Japan suspended imports of American long-grain rice after authorities discovered that a genetically modified variety had accidentally mixed with conventional rice. To skirt such problems altogether, biotech companies are creating superior plants using genetics technology that is advanced but which falls short of grafting genes from one organism into another. [Slashdot: Your Rights Online]

Cowboy DNA testers face prison terms.

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:28:29 GMT

Cowboy DNA testers face prison terms.

And you can't flog your kidney on eBay

A law that could send eBay directors to prison if they fail to remove listings for body parts will next month extend to anyone holding saliva or hair samples for paternity testing or other DNA analysis if they do not have proper consent.

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

Bill Seeks National Medical Records System - Los Angeles Times

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 14:37:14 GMT

Congress is trying to bring the benefits of computerized medical records systems like the VA's to the whole country. By reducing reliance on paper records, lawmakers hope to save billions of dollars. And by tying computerized records systems together in networks, they hope to reduce medical errors by making information instantly available wherever it is needed.

But legislation to encourage a move to computerized records, now moving through the final stages of congressional approval, has provoked opposition from privacy advocates, consumer groups and civil libertarians who point to recent security breaches -- including the much-publicized theft of a VA laptop containing personal information on millions of veterans.

These groups warn that the legislation wouldn't provide enough safeguards.

On one side of the debate is the issue of ensuring adequate protection for a person's most personal information. On the other side is the imperative from government, employers and insurers to curb the seemingly unsustainable growth of healthcare spending, as well as to improve medical treatment.

"We are not going to be able to get healthcare costs under control and improve quality without dramatic implementation of health [technology] over the next 10 years," said Robert Laszewski, a health policy consultant. "It's one of those things where choices are going to have to be made.

"That doesn't mean give the healthcare industry a blank check -- we've got to have standards -- but I'm afraid we're going to have to take some risks," he said.

Privacy advocates say the legislation needs stronger protections, such as provisions that would allow patients to control who sees their records or even to opt out of the electronic system. Agencies should be required to notify patients of a security breach, and patients should have the right to sue over unauthorized disclosures, privacy advocates say.

"The main thing we are concerned about is that if this information leaks out to employers, it can destroy people's reputations and livelihoods," said Dr. Deborah Peel, a leading critic and a psychiatrist who heads the Patient Privacy Rights Foundation in Austin, Texas.

Under the legislation, patients would not "have the basic right to control who can see and use the most sensitive information on Earth about you," Peel added.

Supporters of the legislation -- known as the Health IT bill -- say existing federal medical-privacy laws offer sufficient safeguards. Such laws "already provide absolute protection of our health information," said Rep. Nancy L. Johnson (R-Conn.), a coauthor of the legislation.

The Senate unanimously approved a version of the Health IT bill last year. The House version sparked partisan battles over complex technical and legal issues, as well as privacy. But House Republicans won passage over Democratic opposition last month.

The Future of Crime - Biometric Spoofing?

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 16:35:52 GMT

The Future of Crime - Biometric Spoofing? AxisPower9 writes "What we often watch in films and television - circumventing biometric security access - is turning from science-fiction to reality. Bori Toth, biometric research and advisory lead at Deloitte & Touche, warned that biometric spoofing is a growing concern. From the article: 'We are leaving our prints everywhere so the chance of someone lifting them and copying them is real. Currently it's only researchers that are doing spoofing and copying. It's not a mainstream activity--but it will be. Many people are trying to regard biometrics as secret but they aren't. Our faces and irises are visible and our voices are being recorded. Fingerprints and DNA are left everywhere we go and it's been proved that these are real threats.'" [Slashdot: Your Rights Online]

DNA Kits Provide Insight into Genetic Ancestry.

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:10:29 GMT

DNA Kits Provide Insight into Genetic Ancestry. With advances in DNA technology, researchers are learning more about the origins and diversity of humans, allowing companies to offer DNA test kits and analysis for people who want to learn more about their ancestry. By NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. [NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Podcast | PBS]

Round up the youthful suspects! Govt to target crime at birth.

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 16:27:48 GMT

Round up the youthful suspects! Govt to target crime at birth.

Children, the country's future... lab rats

Children's Minister Hilary Armstrong was due today to outline what could become one of Project Blair's most ambitious, misguided and hubristic projects yet. The Government will attempt to identify children at risk of failure, violent behaviour or criminality at birth, and take the necessary corrective actions to steer them onto a law-abiding and successful path.

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

Busting Burglars With Spit, Vomit.

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 14:21:19 GMT

Busting Burglars With Spit, Vomit. The Justice Department is helping police detectives solve simple property crimes with advanced DNA analysis. Can CSI: Special Shoplifting Squad be far behind? Luke O'Brien reports from Washington [Wired News: Security Blanket]

The Fourth of July, 2006 is Privacy Digest's 7th Anniversary

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 16:14:11 GMT

Tomorrow, The Fourth of July 2006, Privacy Digest will have been publishing as this domain for seven years. We were actually around a bit longer as part of another blog. But on July 4, 1999, I decided that the issue was important enough to warrant it's own dedicated domain.

If you would like to help out my Amazon wishlist has a few things I need. More ideas on ways to support us can be found here.

Home Office defends sharing DNA database

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 13:14:19 GMT

Home Office defends sharing DNA database.

Mi data es su data

The Home Office is under fire for allowing foreign agencies access to the National DNA Database (NDNAD).

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

Vast DNA Bank Pits Policing Vs. Privacy

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 14:16:19 GMT

Brimming with the genetic patterns of more than 3 million Americans, the nation's databank of DNA "fingerprints" is growing by more than 80,000 people every month, giving police an unprecedented crime-fighting tool but prompting warnings that the expansion threatens constitutional privacy protections.

With little public debate, state and federal rules for cataloging DNA have broadened in recent years to include not only violent felons, as was originally the case, but also perpetrators of minor crimes and even people who have been arrested but not convicted.

Now some in law enforcement are calling for a national registry of every American's DNA profile, against which police could instantly compare crime-scene specimens. Advocates say the system would dissuade many would-be criminals and help capture the rest.

BREITBART.COM - NYC Mayor Advocates U.S. Worker Database

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 02:43:22 GMT

Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg thrust himself into the national immigration debate Wednesday, advocating a plan that would establish a DNA or fingerprint database to track and verify all legal U.S. workers.

The mayor also said elements of the legislation moving through Congress are ridiculous and said lawmakers who want to deport all illegal immigrants are living in a "fantasy."

In an editorial for The Wall Street Journal and two nationally televised interviews, the mayor reiterated his long-standing belief that the 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States should be given the opportunity for citizenship, saying that deporting them is impossible and would devastate the economy.

Aides said Bloomberg believes his views are relevant because he has a rare perspective as a former businessman who ran a company for two decades before he became mayor, in charge of enforcing the laws in a city with an estimated half-million illegal immigrants. They said that the editorial was his idea and that CNN and Fox News approached him to discuss his views on the air.

A DNA Database For All U.S. Workers?

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 02:40:49 GMT

A DNA Database For All U.S. Workers? fragmer writes "New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested a plan on Wednesday that would establish a DNA or fingerprint database to track and verify all legal U.S. workers. The mayor said DNA and fingerprint technology could be used to create a worker ID database that will 'uniquely identify the person' applying for a job, ensuring that cards are not illegally transferred or forged. Bloomberg compared his proposed federal identification database to the Social Security card, insisting that such a system would not violate citizens' privacy and was not a civil liberties issue." [Slashdot: Your Rights Online]

Getting off the UK DNA database: ACPO explains how.

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 14:18:33 GMT

Getting off the UK DNA database: ACPO explains how.

Or not...

The UK is something of a DNA record kleptocracy, with a national DNA database now well in excess of three million records, and with new sampling opportunities available to the police on remarkably easy terms. These days it's ever so easy to get onto the UK database, but how do you get off?

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

Round up all the Fortescues! DNA crime scene surname matching.

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 21:47:52 GMT

Round up all the Fortescues! DNA crime scene surname matching.

Are you the owner of this surname, sir?

DNA could be used by police, today's public prints tell us, to 'predict the name of suspects', according to a new study from the University of Leicester Department of Genetics. And indeed it could, but only up to a point, and the way the police would do it involves different, slightly worrying, ways of looking at the data, rather than any new gosh-wow breakthrough in DNA analysis.

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

My Left Nutmeg :: Nancy Johnson Wants To Destroy Your Medical Privacy

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 19:30:33 GMT

Nancy Johnson has introduced a bill that would let the Feds get control over your medical records, regardless of what state law might have to say on the matter.

Not surprisingly, it has some folks madder 'n heck.

[...]

The American Association of Physicians and Surgeons isn't any too happy either.

"We call for restraint in passing a law that would fast track the creation of a national health information system," said Jane Orient, M.D., head of AAPS, in a letter to lawmakers.
"The only parties who will benefit by forcing technology on medicine by top-down central planning that actually risks an end to the advancement in information technology will be the government, certain third party payers, lawyers and information technology companies," she said. "Patients will definitely not benefit from this type of program because they do not control who has access to their sensitive identifiable medical records in any meaningful way."

Next on your agenda: Genetic privacy.

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 15:59:58 GMT

Next on your agenda: Genetic privacy. Privacy columnist Jay Cline says the safest bet is for companies to avoid using personal genetic test information until the public trust has been earned. And he offers seven principles for eventually earning that trust. [Computerworld Privacy News]

Police store DNA records of 24,000 innocent kids.

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 18:10:00 GMT

Police store DNA records of 24,000 innocent kids.

You never know when they might come in handy

The British newspapers have been getting in a tizz over a Police database of DNA samples.

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

Two Virginia Men Pardoned From Recent DNA Testing Not Available at Trials.

Sat, 07 Jan 2006 21:20:44 GMT

Two Virginia Men Pardoned From Recent DNA Testing Not Available at Trials. The two exonerations came out of 31 cases that underwent DNA testing as a result of the random sample review ordered by Governor Warner in September 2004 [GT: Privacy]

News - Yorkshire Post Today: Expanding police DNA database sparks anger

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 18:03:10 GMT

Opposition MPs attack 'intolerable infringement of liberty and personal privacy'

Kate O'Hara Crime Correspondent

THE DNA of one in 14 people in Britain is expected to be on a crime-fighting database by April 2008 - including thousands of samples taken from innocent victims, the Government admitted last night.

Other people whose profiles are now logged onto the vast crime file include more than 15,000 volunteers who believed they were helping solve crimes by giving their samples in response to police appeals to trace rapists or murderers.

The news sparked outrage from opposition MPs last night, who called the huge numbers "an intolerable infringement of liberty and personal privacy."

Home Office predictions suggest there will be 4,250,000 DNA samples on the national database at the end of 2007-08, or seven per cent of the population.

By comparison, the second-largest DNA database in Austria covers just one per cent of the population.

DNA pixie dust fails to solve all UK crime, shock horror.

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 17:20:15 GMT

DNA pixie dust fails to solve all UK crime, shock horror.

So if it's as wonderful as the Home Office says, how come?

The Home Office has boasted of a quadrupling of detection of crime via DNA technology over the last five years, during which period the UK's National DNA Database has trebled in size, and now exceeds 3 million records. An enthusiastic report from the Home Office's Forensic Science & Pathology Unit (DNA Expansion Programme 2000-2005: Reporting achievement) lists impressive improvements in detection rates, thanks to DNA, which is "a powerful aid to crime investigation."

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

United Press International - British DNA database grows amid concern

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 01:10:09 GMT

ONDON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- As the British DNA database grows to more than 3 million people, privacy proponents argue against sweeping inclusion and possible misuse.

The London Telegraph reports 4.25 million people will have their DNA samples recorded by the Home Office, which is roughly one in 14 people.

The government has bolstered the DNA Expansion Program over the past five years with more than $521 million in funding.

The Home Office defends it with statistics showing a quadruple jump in crimes solved with DNA evidence.

But Lynne Featherstone, a spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrat Party called it "an intolerable infringement of liberty and personal privacy."

The DNA program records and keeps samples of those convicted, as well as those acquitted, arrested but not charged and victims.

Featherstone also worried about misuse of the database.

Happy New Year 2006 !!

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 03:27:02 GMT

Happy New Year 2006 !!

NORAD keeping an eye on Santa !!

Sat, 24 Dec 2005 17:51:55 GMT

Merry Christmas to all ... and to all a Good Night!!

Don't forget The Annual NORAD Tracks Santa Claus Website .They also support :French,Spanish, Deutch,Italian and Japanese.NORAD tracks Santa every Christmas eve, following his trek around the world for children everywhere. Some portions of the site require RealPlayer to work. The free version is fine.

The server I use for Privacy Digest has been hacked/compromised.

Sat, 24 Dec 2005 05:20:32 GMT

Editor: Sorry about being gone for a bit. It seems that my server has been hacked, and used as part of a DOS attack. I have replaced the system OS and am in the process of reloading/recreating all the content in Privacy Digest and the other hosted domains. Since in my opinion my ISP has been on the slow side in responding to my trouble ticket. It looks like I will be putting things back together over the night when I should be sleeping. There have hundreds of brute force attacks fended off, but this time someone got in. I will put the most visible/critical data up first, and some may have to wait till I get some sleep.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!

New York tech start-up develops DNA amplifier the size of a paper clip

Fri, 25 Nov 2005 17:36:14 GMT

Crime labs and operating rooms that use deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing to prosecute criminals and heal patients could get the job done cheaper and with less equipment if a New York company's first-generation fluidic micro-device gets to the marketplace.

Faster DNA Testing.

Fri, 25 Nov 2005 17:33:10 GMT

Faster DNA Testing. tkjtkj writes "Physorg.com is reporting that a Rochester,NY, company, 'Thermal Gradients, Inc' has produced a new method of DNA analysis that can reduce the required time from hours to minutes that the usual 'Polymerase Chain Reacion' (PCR) takes to produce the large quantity of sample DNA needed to identify the donor. This could,conceivably, make "Instant DNA Identification" a reality! Will air travel now require one to arrive at the airport 5 minutes earlier than usual, to provide a skin-swab sample before boarding the plane?" [Slashdot]

I wonder where the readers of Privacy Digest hang out?

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 22:14:49 GMT

Administrivia: If you don't mind admitting that you read Privacy Digest and making info publicly available (some of you won't want to do this I'm sure), there is a new service called Frapper that assigns users to locations on a map. If you want you can also attach a photo. Don't worry, the photo doesn't have to be of you. I'm doing this primarily to get a feel for where my readers are. Just click on the ICON if you are interested.

Administrvia - No updates for a bit.

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 06:25:14 GMT

Administrvia: Just wanted to let you know that there will probably not be any updates for a few days. It looks like I will be without net access for my CMS/Blog update software. If you see anything big send me an e-mail so I can put it up when I get back online.

I.B.M. to Put Genetic Data of Workers Off Limits - New York Times

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:05:05 GMT

As concerns grow that genetic information could become a modern tool of discrimination, I.B.M. plans to announce a new work force privacy policy today.

I.B.M., the world's largest technology company by revenue, is promising not to use genetic information in hiring or in determining eligibility for its health care or benefits plans. Genetics policy specialists and privacy rights groups say that the I.B.M. pledge to its more than 300,000 employees worldwide appears to be the first such move by a major corporation.

As many groups move to gather and use genetic information, "the time is right" for the company to declare its new policy, said Harriet Pearson, I.B.M.'s chief privacy officer.

The new policy, which comes as Congress is considering legislation on genetic privacy, is a response to the growing trend in medical research to focus on a person's genetic propensity for disease in hopes of tailoring treatments to specific medical needs.

Gene tests are not yet widespread, but start-up companies are already intent on developing a market for genetic testing and counseling. I.B.M. has a business stake in promoting genetic data gathering and processing, as a leading information technology company with a growing presence in the medical industry.

IBM Vows Not to Genetically Discriminate.

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:02:25 GMT

IBM Vows Not to Genetically Discriminate. An anonymous reader writes "Today the New York Times is reporting that IBM announced the addition of genetic makeup (Genetic Registration Required) to its non-discrimination policy. It appears that IBM is the first company worldwide to do this. With congress considering genetic privacy legislation, and with projects like the National Geographic Genographic Project, are we nearing the time when we all need to worry about our genetic privacy?"
[Slashdot: Your Rights Online]

Bill Would Permit DNA Collection From All Those Arrested

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 03:38:18 GMT

Suspects arrested or detained by federal authorities could be forced to provide samples of their DNA that would be recorded in a central database under a provision of a Senate bill to expand government collection of personal data.

The controversial measure was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week and is supported by the White House, but has not gone to the floor for a vote. It goes beyond current law, which allows federal authorities to collect and record samples of DNA only from those convicted of crimes. The data are stored in an FBI-maintained national registry that law enforcement officials use to aid investigations, by comparing DNA from criminals with evidence found at crime scenes.

[...]

The provision, co-sponsored by Kyl and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), does not require the government to automatically remove the DNA data of people who are never convicted. Instead, those arrested or detained would have to petition to have their information removed from the database after their cases were resolved.

Privacy advocates are especially concerned about possible abuses such as profiling based on genetic characteristics.

"This clearly opens the door to all kinds of race- or ethnic-based stops" by police, said Jim Dempsey, executive director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a digital policy think tank.

Originally, the federal DNA database was limited to convicted sex offenders, who often repeat their crimes. Then it was expanded to include violent felons. Several states, including Virginia, also collect DNA from those arrested for violent crimes.

"It's a classic mission-creep situation," said Jim Harper, a privacy specialist with the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. "These guys are playing a great law and order game . . . and in the process creating a database that could be converted into something quite dangerous."

Federal Agencies To Collect Genetic Info.

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 03:28:26 GMT

Federal Agencies To Collect Genetic Info. protagoras writes "According to a bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, suspects arrested or detained by federal authorities may have their DNA forcibly collected for permanent storage in a central database. The bill is supported by the White House as well, but has not yet gone to the floor for a vote. Current law permits this only for those convicted of a crime. So even though completely innocent, should the Feds decide to detain you for any reason, your genetic data will grace their database beside that from murders, terrorists, and other miscreants." From the article: "The provision, co-sponsored by Kyl and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), does not require the government to automatically remove the DNA data of people who are never convicted. Instead, those arrested or detained would have to petition to have their information removed from the database after their cases were resolved. Privacy advocates are especially concerned about possible abuses such as profiling based on genetic characteristics."

[Slashdot: Your Rights Online]

ACLU TV Debuts "Beyond the Patriot Act".

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 12:37:12 GMT

ACLU TV Debuts "Beyond the Patriot Act".

Join grassroots groups and households around the country who, during the first two weeks of September, will be hosting premieres of the ACLU's "Beyond the Patriot Act" -- a 30-minute program from producers of "Outfoxed" and "Unconstitutional." The program, the first in a series called "The ACLU Freedom Files," is designed to spark action and reveal how civil liberties affect real people every day. It features stirring accounts of current cases, as well as well-known actors, activists, and comedians.

Hosting a showing is easy and energizing -- and it's a great way to mobilize people and influence the debate that's about to resume in Congress. You can see the program on television or on the Web, and DVDs are available for purchase. Check out the website for details on scheduled broadcasts and organizing a local showing.

[EFF: Deep Links]

Home DNA Tests Just a Click Away.

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 01:23:26 GMT

Home DNA Tests Just a Click Away. Online retailers hawk genetic-testing kits but, depending on your point of view, the information the mail-order supplies provide is either useless, a privacy threat or a simple amusement. By Randy Dotinga. [Wired News]

Genetic Discrimination in the IT Workplace.

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 01:27:14 GMT

Genetic Discrimination in the IT Workplace. MisterTut writes "In what could be a troubling trend, one employer- the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway -was found to have secretly run unproven genetic tests on workers suffering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The company was trying to prove that they were not culpable for cases of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from which the employees were suffering. The ethical considerations of such testing, covert and illicit or not, are profound for those of us working in the IT industry." [Slashdot: Your Rights Online]

No updates at Privacy Digest for a while

Tue, 19 Jul 2005 08:28:18 GMT

Editor: There will be no updates here at Privacy Digest for a bit, possibly till the end of the month. I am not going to have net access for my CMS (Content Management System) so I will have no way to update my site/feed. So if you find something very interesting please forward me a link to the material so I can include it when I get back. You can send it to editor(-at-)PrivacyDigest(-dot-)com

If you would like to help me pay for the creation/running of this site, you can either get something from the "Privacy Digest Wish List" or maybe Support Privacy Digest another way.

Today is the the Sixth anniversary for Privacy Digest - Happy Independence day America!!

Mon, 04 Jul 2005 14:44:40 GMT

Happy Independence day America!!

The Hypertext Declaration of Independence.

BTW Its the Sixth anniversary for "Privacy Digest" also Back on July 4,1999 I split the privacy news collection off from another weblog and gave it its own domain. Enjoy the holiday. Have a BBQ and enjoy the fireworks. If you would like to help me celebrate you can either get something from the "Privacy Digest Wish List" or maybe Support Privacy Digest another way.

Photoshop for DNA.

Fri, 03 Jun 2005 17:00:47 GMT

Photoshop for DNA. pafischer writes "Forbes is reporting on a Biotech startup company trying to make DNA manipulation as easy as Photoshop. From the article: 'The goal is to move from having to merely tweak the proteins that are used as biotech drugs to being able to design them, even taking material from multiple organisms and using them to create new, functional genes.'"
[Slashdot]

Lab's Errors Force Review of 150 DNA Cases - New York Times

Sun, 08 May 2005 14:31:13 GMT

A sharply critical independent audit found Friday that Virginia's nationally recognized central crime laboratory had botched DNA tests in a leading capital murder case. The findings prompted Gov. Mark Warner to order a review of the lab's handling of testing in 150 other cases as well. Among the auditors' eight recommendations, all of which were accepted by Mr. Warner, were that the governor restrict the work of the lab's chief DNA scientist, Jeffrey Ban; review 40 cases that Mr. Ban has handled in recent years, along with a sample totaling 110 additional cases; and develop procedures to insulate the lab from any outside political pressures. Experts said the findings could lead to a re-examination of scores of past prosecutions, including those involving some of the nearly two dozen inmates on Virginia's death row, and might also throw into turmoil many current prosecutions in which the lab's work helped identify or rule out suspects. "You have to have doubts about the reliability of any case coming out of there," said Betty Layne DesPortes, a criminal defense lawyer from Richmond who heads a legal panel for the American Academy of Forensic Science. "How can we be sure that this case wasn't typical?" she said of the handling of evidence in the prosecution of Earl Washington Jr.

Celera Opens Up DNA Database.

Sun, 01 May 2005 18:32:06 GMT

Celera Opens Up DNA Database. greenplato writes "Thirty billion base pairs from the sequences of humans, mice, and rats that were available only by subscription to Celera's DNA database are being put into the public domain. Celera will donate this information to a 'federally run database,' presumably GenBank. Francis Collins, head of the National Human Genome Research Institute, notes that 'data just wants to be public.' Stories in BusinessWeek and The New York Times."[Slashdot]

Wired News - One-Time BTK Suspect Wants DNA Destroyed

Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:11:05 GMT

Valadez, who was arrested on minor housing violations after the December raid, is asking a court to order his DNA sample destroyed and its profile purged from any database. He is also after an explanation from authorities as to why they barged into his home with a search warrant for his DNA. A court hearing is set for April 1. "Now that they claim the search for BTK is over, we cannot see any reason for them to continue to conceal from Roger Valadez why they were looking in his house and his mouth for BTK," said Dan Monnat, Valadez's attorney. Monnat warned: "DNA information is maybe the most intimate information about a person. There is no reason for that information to be unnecessarily in the government's files. Who knows what future use the 21st century will find for DNA?" District Attorney Nola Foulston declined to comment last week on Valadez's request. But at a news conference, she sought to reassure the public that DNA profiles collected during the BTK investigation would not be placed in any database. The samples themselves are evidence in a criminal investigation, she said. Under Kansas law, once they are no longer needed, a judge can decide what should be done with them. "We need to look at the good things DNA has done," Foulston said. "I think some people are overwrought about their concerns." Barry Steinhardt, director of the technology liberty project at the American Civil Liberties Union, said DNA sweeps like the one employed in Wichita are used too often when "police are frustrated and don't have any hard evidence." In Baton Rouge, La., police hunting a serial killer collected 1,200 DNA samples. In Miami, police in 1994 gathered 2,300 samples while investigating the killing of six prostitutes. In San Diego, 800 DNA samples were taken by police looking into the stabbing deaths of six people. All failed to identify a suspect.

What Will We Do With Innocent People's DNA?

Tue, 22 Mar 2005 17:06:46 GMT

What Will We Do With Innocent People's DNA?. NevDull writes "As creepy as it may be to deal with identity theft from corporate databases, imagine being swabbed for DNA samples as a suspect in a crime, being vindicated by that sample, and never even being told why you were suspected. This article discusses a man, Roger Valadez, who's fighting both to have his DNA sample and its profile purged from government records, and to find out why he and his DNA were searched in the BTK case. DA Nola Foulston said, 'I think some people are overwrought about their concerns.' -- convenient as she wasn't the one probed without explanation. The article then mentions that 'In California, police will be able in 2008 to take DNA samples from anyone arrested for a felony, whether the person is convicted or not, under a law approved by voters in November.' What will be the disposition of the DNA of the innocent?" [Slashdot: Your Rights Online]

DNA Testing Goes DIY.

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 17:41:52 GMT

DNA Testing Goes DIY. Online companies are exploiting a new direct-to-consumer medical marketing niche: at-home genetic testing for predisposition to a number of ills. Critics say the companies, and consumers, are ill-prepared to interpret the results. [Wired News]

Cops covertly acquired tissue of BTK suspect's relative -- from medical lab [Politech]

Sat, 05 Mar 2005 16:22:34 GMT

The article goes on to give a brief but factually accurate explanation of how a request for "medical records" is entirely within the framework of the federal medical privacy laws (HIPAA), and also gives a likely source of the tissue - a routine pap smear. The article suggests that a judge issued a secret order for the records, though the article does not state if it was a formal 4th Amendment "probable cause" warrant, or some lesser standard subpoena, or even go into whether the police were required to acquire an order under HIPAA (there are circumstances where agents can just the recordholder.) BUT the article also doesn't raise the fact that what was apparently requested was NOT "health information" - what HIPAA protects - but _actual tissue_ from the suspect's daughter's file samples.

DNA data raises privacy concerns - The Daily Free Press - News

Thu, 03 Mar 2005 16:46:17 GMT

DNA can be a useful crime-fighting tool, but establishing DNA databases can encroach on people's privacy, said David Lazer, associate professor of Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government on Wednesday.

US Senate moves against genetic discrimination | The Register

Fri, 18 Feb 2005 14:42:42 GMT

The US senate has passed a bill that would prohibit employers, health insurers and other groups from discriminating on the basis of genetic information. Advances in genetic testing have sparked concerns that individuals could find themselves excluded by employers or health organizations because they may have a genetic disposition to certain illnesses, particularly those that are costly to treat. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005, which would amend a series of existing health and employment acts, would outlaw such discrimination, whether by employers, health plans, or labour organizations. It also extends medical privacy and confidentiality rules to cover genetic information. Though the bill was passed by 98-0 in the Senate, yesterdayâo[dot accent]019s vote does not guarantee the bill will ever make it into law. While the White House has indicated its support for yesterdayâo[dot accent]019s bill, it still has to gain support in the House of Representatives. The House is seen as more susceptible to pressure from interest groups than the Senate, and health industry lobbyists will no doubt fight hard against anything that restricts insurersâo[dot accent]019 ability to cherry pick the healthiest patients and whack up premiums on the rest.

DNA criminal database wins temporary reprieve

Sun, 30 Jan 2005 17:07:50 GMT

A trial judge's ruling allowing criminals to demand that their DNA samples be destroyed once they complete their sentences was put on hold yesterday. That ruling on Dec. 22 by Superior Court Judge Jack Sabatino in Mercer County severely limited a law enacted in 2003 requiring anyone convicted of a crime to provide a DNA sample. The American Civil Liberties Union hailed that ruling as a victory for privacy while Attorney General Peter Harvey said it undermined the usefulness of a DNA database as a tool for catching repeat offenders.

Report warns of dangers of UK's DNA database.

Thu, 13 Jan 2005 19:41:22 GMT

Report warns of dangers of UK's DNA database.

Learn what it was that you had to hide

In addition to "sleepwalking towards a surveillance society" via the ID scheme, the UK is snoozing nearer to a Big Brother state, with the aid of the National DNA database, according to a new report by GeneWatch UK. The Home Office has ruled out adding DNA data to the biometrics to be held on the entire population via the ID scheme, but the data which is being collected for the Police National Database already makes it one of the most substantial DNA databases in the world, it's growing fast, and it's possibly significant that the Home Office has stressed that it can't bind future administrations to keeping DNA out of the National Identity Register.

[The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs]

To Try to Net Killer, Police Ask a Small Town's Men for DNA.

Wed, 12 Jan 2005 21:22:31 GMT

To Try to Net Killer, Police Ask a Small Town's Men for DNA. In an effort to solve a three-year-old murder, police are seeking DNA samples from all 790 men in a Cape Cod town. [NYT > Most E-mailed Articles]

CNN.com - Police ask a town's men for DNA - Jan 10, 2005

Tue, 11 Jan 2005 04:38:47 GMT

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Civil rights advocates asked authorities Monday to stop collecting DNA samples from men in Truro in their investigation of a fashion writer's slaying.

Calling it "a serious intrusion on personal privacy" that is unlikely to yield results, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts sent a letter to Cape Cod prosecutor Michael O'Keefe and Truro Police Chief John Thomas, urging them to end the DNA effort.

In recent weeks, police have gathered DNA samples from hundreds of men in Truro in a renewed effort to solve the January 2002 slaying of Christa Worthington.

[...]

The letter raised concerns about statements from O'Keefe, who indicated that investigators would take note of those who decline a swab of the inside of their mouths.

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 03:24:02 GMT

DNA For Information Processing and Data Storage. Haydn Fenton writes "Here is an article on using DNA for data storage and even information processing. From the article, "The DNA molecule - nature's premier data storage material - may hold the key for the information technology industry as it faces demands for more compact data processing and storage circuitry. A team led by Richard Kiehl, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota, has used DNA's ability to assemble itself into predetermined patterns to construct a synthetic DNA scaffolding with regular, closely spaced docking sites that can direct the assembly of circuits for processing or storing data."" [Slashdot]

BBC NEWS | UK | Judge calls for UK DNA database

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 20:51:31 GMT

Everyone who lives in Britain should have their DNA stored on a national database, a top judge has said. Lord Justice Sedley is well known for his support of human rights, including upholding a ruling over the government denying rights to asylum seekers. The law lord said the potential gain from a national base was considerable. "The risks, so long as they are confronted, are controllable," he said during a Leicester University Law School lecture. Lord Justice Sedley said he made no case for or against the introduction of compulsory identity cards. "But a society that feels able, as ours does, to give serious consideration to such a step, ought not to turn its face away from the case for a universal DNA register." He said that DNA analysis had transformed the process, not only of detection work by police, but proof in court.

Sat, 27 Nov 2004 22:07:27 GMT

Rough Reception for DNA Law. California voters approve an aggressive DNA-collection program -- basically anyone held in connection with a felony will be tested -- and that has privacy advocates worried.

[...]

The new law, officially called the DNA Fingerprint, Unsolved Crime and Innocence Protection Act, is expected to add the genetic data of 1 million people to California's databank over the five years, making it the largest state-run DNA databank in the country.

The law, approved by 62 percent of the state's voters in the Nov. 2 election, allows police to take DNA samples from every adult and juvenile convicted of a felony and from all adults arrested for specific felonies such as sexual assault and murder. In 2009, the law will be broadened to enable police to gather DNA data from anyone arrested for any felony -- ranging from residential burglary to murder -- whether or not they are ever charged or convicted with a crime.

The American Civil Liberties Union is planning to file a lawsuit challenging the act before the end of the year, but a spokeswoman from the Northern California chapter of the ACLU would not discuss details of that case, saying the group is still working out the details.

Attempts to legally block DNA databases in other states have not succeeded. In Wisconsin, for example, a lawsuit filed earlier this year by prisoners who argued that giving DNA samples violated their 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure was tossed out by a federal appeals court.

Critics say collecting DNA of mere suspects subverts the notion that people are innocent until proven guilty. While 35 other states require DNA samples to be taken from convicted felons, Louisiana is the only other state that requires testing of people arrested for a felony.

By Julia Scheeres. [Wired News]

Sun, 21 Nov 2004 06:22:37 GMT

Critics Raise Privacy Concerns over DNA Database (NPR).