DNA Tracking Proving Hugely Successful — and Controversial — in Britain
Feb 25th, 2008 • Posted in: NewsEthics implications of widening genetic database trouble many critics
LONDON and WASHINGTON
An ethics debate over police use of genetic tracking is escalating throughout the United Kingdom. The Wall Street Journal reports that the latest wrinkle involves tracking suspects through family members’ DNA to solve open cases of murder and sexual assault.
According to the Journal, law enforcement officials are searching genetic traits of family members who have DNA profiles on file. So far, about 20 cases have been solved using the technique, which can lead police to a close relative of a suspect, with standard investigative work then used to track down the alleged perpetrator.
Journal reporter Gautam Naik writes that DNA profiling is facing some opposition on ethical grounds: “Civil-liberties groups oppose the rapid expansion of DNA databases, arguing that they risk placing sensitive personal information in the hands of the government. Unlike old-fashioned fingerprints, they say, DNA contains health and hereditary data such as paternity markers that could be misused. Leaked data, for example, could be used to deny insurance coverage or employment to people identified as being at risk for a genetic disease.”
In addition, Naik reports, critics say that a type of DNA reference testing that identifies racial characteristics can mislead police or reinforce existing prejudices.
But advocates of widening DNA testing say the ends will justify the means. The British Press Association reports that a recent case solved by DNA profiling — the murder of an 18-year-old model — points to the need for a larger, more comprehensive database. Detective superintendent Stuart Cundy told the Press Association that the man convicted in the killing had 16 previous convictions in Britain, but all were from before the time police routinely took DNA. Reuters reports that Scotland Yard detectives are speculating that the same man may have killed before, possibly in Australia.
About four million DNA profiles are currently on file in Britain, according to the Times of London.
U.K. police are seeking broader powers to let them take DNA samples from people charged with minor infractions such as speeding or littering, and some political leaders are calling for a database that includes samples from all citizens, regardless of whether they have any record of offenses.
In a related story, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently trying to develop a system that will make recordings of a human voice as identifiable and searchable as fingerprints, according to a report from National Public Radio.
The system, which feeds audio through a computer, has been used to verify tapes purported to be from Osama bin Laden. While the technology is not yet capable of producing a voice-match admissible in court, officials say the science is advancing rapidly, according to NPR.
Sources: Times of London, Feb. 23 — Wall Street Journal, Feb. 22 — Reuters, Feb. 22 — U.K. Press Association, Feb. 22 — NPR, Jan. 28.
For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Jan. 14 — Related Newsline story, Oct. 29, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Oct. 15, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Jan. 9, 2006 — Related Newsline story, Oct. 14, 2003.
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