All Your DNA Are Belong To Us
Boy, I totally missed this, and I live in Arizona. Not until Reason highlighted the case was it even brought to my attention. Apparently, Arizona is going to collect DNA samples from many of the people they arrest:
State lawmakers voted Tuesday to expand the state's DNA database
dramatically by requiring all people arrested for certain crimes to
provide DNA samples for state records whether they are convicted or not.Conservative and liberal lawmakers alike raised alarms that the measure
would violate the civil liberties of people never convicted of a crime
and set a dangerous precedent for government collection of sensitive
genetic information."I think it is egregious," Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, a conservative
Republican from Gilbert and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee,
said on the House floor Tuesday. "It tramples on the liberties and
freedom of the people."
Apparently, the change is sneaking through buried in a budget bill. And there are people our there who still trust the government?
Craig:
I think New York is doing something like this, too.
June 22, 2007, 10:04 amJim Hu:
And just wait for your biometric national ID card that will be needed for immigration enforcement. Gack.
June 22, 2007, 12:28 pmBrian:
I don't like this at all. But I have a question: how is this different from finger prints? Back in the day was there a similar outcry when fingerprinting was instituted?
June 22, 2007, 8:07 pmBrandon Berg:
A better title would have been: All Your Base Pair Are Belong to Us
June 25, 2007, 10:59 amla petite chou chou:
That's quite clever Brandon. Haha.
I wanted to thank the author here. I needed something to blog about and this was a perfect subject.
To answer Brian, for me, the difference is that fingerprints aren't hidden. They aren't a code for anything other than the way your skin cells line up. DNA, of course, is the code of YOU. I find it a disturbing prospect having that out there.
June 25, 2007, 7:26 pm