[jambutty]

Originally Posted by Cyfr

I voted no.

Our government simply cannot be trusted with more data after all the recent losses. We have no idea what subsequent governments will do with the data. Who knows, in 10 years time our DNA might be up for auction, I bet its quite valuable to criminals and genetic research companies.

DNA can easily convict the wrong person. It doesn't prove you did a crime, only that you were around that area at some point (even if it was before the crime even took place). It can easily lead to wrong convictions. There have been tons of cases of planted DNA, framing an innocent person.

They already have too much DNA. Taking DNA from innocent people even before they're charged? Not deleting it when its proved their innocent? What is this, a police state? We are the most watched country in Europe, have the biggest DNA database in the world (in proportion to our size), the government even want to invade our privacy in our own homes, getting internet providers to look into what we're doing on the internet whist having a massive ID database storing even more of our information, and for what? To prevent terrorism? Everyone already knows it won't do what its supposedly built for. Scare mongering government using peoples fears to restrict freedoms.

Welcome to 1984.

This is one of the few occasions that I agree with you.

DNA data should be treated in the same way that fingerprints are or rather should be.

When arrested and charged with an offence the police take the fingerprints of the suspect. If the person is convicted of the crime the fingerprints are retained. If the person is NOT convicted the fingerprints should be destroyed. But are they? Is a question that causes concern.

The same principle should be applied to DNA samples, the resultant data held on computers and any other identifying data.

I understand that there are provisions where Joe Public can check to see if the fingerprints have been destroyed. But how can you be sure without Joe Public being given access to the whole fingerprint database to do a search?