House Votes to Expand National DNA Arrest Database

Millions of Americans arrested for but not convicted of crimes will likely have their DNA forcibly extracted and added to a national database, according to a bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.

By a 357 to 32 vote, the House approved legislation that will pay state governments to require DNA samples, which could mean drawing blood with a needle, from adults "arrested for" certain serious crimes. Not one Democrat voted against the database measure, which would hand out about $75 million to states that agree to make such testing mandatory.'

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Obama Supports a National DNA Database

Obama has come out in favor of forcing people arrested to submit DNA to a national database.

“President Barack Obama’s embrace of a national database to store the DNA of people arrested but not necessarily convicted of a crime is heartening to backers of the policy but disappointing to criminal-justice reformers, who view it as an invasion of privacy,” reports Politico. “Others also worry the practice would adversely affect minorities.”

It would affect all Americans regardless of race, creed, color, nationality, etc. It would also be a violation of the Fourth Amendment.'

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The DNA of a Police State

Brown notes that the DNA database has helped to effectively prosecute offending criminals. As with any technological development, such a tool can be used for good or for ill. The problem lies not in the use of the technology itself, but in the strong-armed monopoly of force wielding the power; aka the government.

A free-market based on voluntary endorsement and association would be most effective at regulating against unjustifiable usages of technology. Any breach of contract in such a circumstance would be much less devastating to the overall welfare of the populace, due to the dynamic nature of a competitive economy. A forceful monopoly offers no such refuge.

Newborns’ DNA Routinely Harvested For Government Bio Banks

The government is harvesting samples of DNA from every newborn child in the country, storing them in monolithic bio banks and providing them to outside researchers and other agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, all without the consent or knowledge of parents.

It sounds like the stuff of dystopian nightmare, and it is, but it is also reality.'

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Now Mobile Devices Will Scan Your Naked Body On The Streets

Naked body scanners are being readied to go mobile and scan you on the street, at football games and any other event where masses of people are congregated, according to a leaked paper written by Dutch authorities.

As we have been warning all along, the tyranny now being metered out at airports was always intended to be rolled out onto the streets, with mobile metal detectors already being stationed at various transport hubs in the UK in the name of stopping knife crime.

Now Dutch police have announced that they are developing a mobile scanner that will “see through people’s clothing and look for concealed weapons”.'

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Government Admits Police Arresting Innocents Just to Grab DNA for Big Brother Database

Police are arresting innocent people in order to get their hands on as many DNA samples as possible, senior Government advisers revealed last night.

The Human Genetics Commission said the Big Brother tactic was creating a 'spiral of suspicion' among the public.

The panel - which contains some of Britain's leading scientists and academics - said officers should no longer routinely take samples at the point of arresting a suspect.'

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DNA of Protesters Could be Held for Life

Innocent members of the public detained but not charged or convicted under terrorism legislation may never have their profiles wiped from the national database because they are to be treated differently to all other alleged offences.

The proposal is directed at those arrested for suspected terror offences but could apply to anyone held under a Terrorism Act.

In contrast, those innocent of any other suspected crime will be kept for a maximum of six years.

The proposals have been drawn up in the wake of a European Court of Human Rights ruled last year that a blanket policy of retaining profiles of innocent people indefinitely was illegal.

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Taking DNA of Innocent Children Without Consent is Assault, Says Advisory Group

Police officers who take DNA from innocent children without written consent could be guilty of assault, the Government’s own advisory body has warned.

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Outrage as Police Plan to Secretly Hold On to DNA

Police have secretly been told to continue with the unlawful 'Big Brother' policy of indefinitely storing DNA samples taken from entirely innocent people.
It is more than seven months since European judges ruled that DNA taken from 850,000 people who were not convicted of any crime could not be stored for life.
But a leaked letter by one of the country's most senior policing officials reveals that forces have been warned against starting to destroy the unlawful samples.

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DNA Databases Prelude to Return of Eugenics?

"The authors of a 2001 study 'were struck' by the large number of state government officials who agreed with a specific statement regarding assessment of a child's suitability for future reproduction," the report said. "Nineteen (54 percent) of 35 … respondents who routinely provide counseling – mostly newborn genetic screening follow-up staff at state health departments across the country – thought it important when giving advice to parents to 'identify children who might be, for genetic reasons, unsuitable choices for future reproduction,'" the report said.

The concept of "identifying" those who would be "unsuitable" for reproduction is enough reason for parents to be alarmed, and people should start demanding fully informed consent requirements, Brase said.

"To protect every American's right to self-determination, genetic privacy, and DNA property rights, it is time to require informed written parent consent for all facets of the newborn genetic screening program, including storage and use of genetic test results and newborn DNA," Brase said.

She said most states do not require parental consent for newborn genetic testing now or for the government to keep the genetic results. Most states now keep DNA results for a period of time – some extending indefinitely.

"Most parents have no idea that government is doing the testing or retaining the data and DNA," the report said.

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New Uses For Electro-Shock Torture

A police officer assigned to prowl the halls of Pennsylvania's Penn Hills High School came across a student using his cell phone, a violation of school rules except in an emergency.

The officer was ignored when he told the student to turn off the phone. So he ordered the student to the principal's office. According to Police Chief Howard Burton, "The student resisted, pushed the officer. The officer, defending himself, took out his stun gun and did a drive stun."

A "drive stun" consists of placing the Taser directly to the subject's body, temporarily immobilizing him. The student fell to the floor, where, after he continued "resisting" -- one has to admire his tenacity -- he was handcuffed.

All of this was less disruptive than the student's cell phone use, one supposes.

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Police Target 'Innocent' Youths for Arrest in Bid to Increase DNA Samples on Database

Youths with no criminal record are being targeted for arrest so their DNA can be logged on a database in the event they commit crimes.
A total of 386 under-18s had their DNA taken and stored by police last year in one north London borough - more than one a day.
An experience officer working for the Metropolitan Police admitted the DNA was being stored as part of a 'long-term crime prevention strategy'.

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Fury as Commons Denied DNA Vote

Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, has been warned that the government risks further damaging the public's faith in politics after it emerged that plans for the police to keep innocent people's DNA profiles for up to 12 years will become law without a Commons vote.

Opposition parties and civil liberty groups united to condemn plans that are being steered through parliament while MPs are distracted by the expenses row.

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Smith's DNA Database by Stealth

It is perhaps ironic that the home secretary should seem so hellbent on collecting the nation's DNA while still reeling from the embarrassment of her husband's presumed attempts to spill his at the taxpayer's expense.

If it is irony then it is doubly so, as Smith is the minister charged with upholding the rule of law yet has such utter contempt for it and its principles. The EU court ruling stated very clearly that the DNA profiles and samples of the 850,000 innocent people currently on the database should be removed.

Smith's response is to leave them on the DNA database for between six and 12 years. At best this is a childish kind of belligerent foot-dragging and at worst it is plain illegal. What is certain is that campaigners will challenge this, and once again Smith will be hauled into court.

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Fury as Harriet Harman Claims Opponents of DNA Database are 'Against Justice'

Harriet Harman provoked outrage yesterday by accusing opponents of the Government's DNA database policy of 'putting themselves against justice'.
Labour's deputy leader waded into the database row following the announcement this week of Government plans that innocent people will have to wait up to 12 years before their DNA is erased.

In the Commons yesterday, Lib-Dem spokesman David Heath accused ministers of showing an 'inability to understand what the word innocent means'.
And Shadow Commons Leader Alan Duncan claimed the Government had 'little regard for civil liberty and justice'.

Miss Harman countered: 'I would say quite the opposite - this is us having regard for justice.'

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'You're either with us or your with the Terrorists'

Wrongly Accused People Could Have DNA on Database for 12 years

The DNA profiles of people released without charge or found not guilty by a court could be stored for up to 12 years on a national police database.

The proposal, announced by Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, is in response to a European court ruling that criticised the Government for keeping genetic records of innocent people.

Opponents accused ministers of defying the spirit of the court’s decision by drawing a distinction between DNA samples, which will be destroyed, and the genetic profiles they generate.

The judgment last year ruled that the indefinite storage of samples, profiles and fingerprints of everyone arrested was unlawful.

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DNA Profiles of Innocent Citizens on Police Databases to be Destroyed

The move follows a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in December that keeping the samples "could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society".

Those on the England and Wales database despite having no criminal conviction include people who were arrested but never charged and others who have been acquitted in court.

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DNA of One-year-old Baby Stored on National Database

The information was stored before the Government announced plans to remove all records of young children from the DNA database (NDNAD).

The oldest person with a profile on the database was over 90, Miss Smith revealed in a Commons written answer.

She told Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne: "As at November 26 2008, the youngest person with a profile on the NDNAD was aged under one year and the oldest was over 90 years old."

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DNA Samples From 1.1million Children Held on Register as Labour 'Plots Database by Stealth'

DNA samples taken from 1.1million children are being held on an ever expanding government database.

The figures, revealed yesterday, show that 1.09million DNA profiles of people aged under 18 were held on the database with 337,000 under 16.

The Metropolitan Police has added the largest number of profiles to the register including 117,000 boys and 33,000 girls.

The new figures come as it was claimed ministers are sneaking sweeping powers to collect and retain more DNA samples.

The Tories said the Government was attempting to give itself a 'blank cheque' to store swabs and fingerprints of criminals and those cleared of wrongdoing.

They claim Labour is trying to expand the amount of biometric data they store without subjecting the controversial plan to full Parliamentary scrutiny.

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Biobank (UK) - Have you Got Your Letter Yet?

In my post today, I received an NHS marked envelope - inside were "invitations" to join a "National Medical research project" run by BioBank.

There was a bar code at the top of the letter with the words "participant ID" next to it, and my appointment has been set for 5th March 2009 1.20pm.

If I do not wish to participate, then I am to notify them in writing, and give reasons.

I am timetabled to take part in a 90min examination in which genetic material including blood, urine, are taken and various 'medical tests' performed etc. Lifestyle questions will also be asked. Their stated aim is to research into the prevention of cancer, heart disease, strokes etc.

Apparently it involves over 500,00 people aged between 40-69. (I'm nearer the 40 than the 69 by the way).There are huge implications to people holding DNA / gene info, and I am not confident that ethical issues would be understood, let alone taken care of.

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