[SteveJobs]

Hi,
a friend of mine is participating in a rhetorics competition tomorrow and she is somewhat frightened because she cannot find any contra-arguments for one topic: The creation of a nationwide database with genetic information.

This is a topic quite often discussed in Germany, currently. There are many arguments for it, but only little and weak arguments against. Any suggestions? I would be quite grateful!

Greetings,
Ingmar

[Thilo Ettelt]

Easy. There's one important thing about it:

the genetic information may not hold the information of how a human being is, but rather who someone is. This is the essential strategy that should be resolved. Because the "how" will lead to insurances rating you by your genetic code for example. Instead the "who" will only allow the identification of a person which is what it's meant for.


- Thilo

[analogika]

Tell her to look up "Datenschutz" on occasion.

This suggestion would be the greatest invasion of privacy since the Third Reich.

The abuse potential of a centralized genetic db are so beyond tremendous - long-term, not this Monday.

[SteveJobs]

Sadly, - for her - this is not quite true. It is possible to extract only part of the DNA in order to have a unique means of identification which can be used for comparison.
In this way, the personality is not even nearly touched and yet, the DNA can be used in its full strength as a means of identifying criminals.

Obviously, one may ask: But who controls if they are not extracting the rest as well?
Obviously, one may answer: Who controls what the state is doing with our privacy anyway?

So, anything else?

Steve

[paully dub]

Wasn't this attempted/proposed in Iceland (by a private company, for research purposes)?

What ever became of that?

[analogika]

Originally posted by SteveJobs:
Obviously, one may answer: Who controls what the state is doing with our privacy anyway?

So, anything else?

That alone has potentially catastrophic consequences:

Which state?

Not just the current state, which is obviously limited in what it can do with those samples, but the future state, with every single change in government and legislature that will and could be subtly implemented over decades.

For an example, witness the long-term disaster that Homeland Security can potentially wreak upon supposedly "free" individuals, with all the subtle (and occasionally just stunning) erosion of human rights that is so determinedly implemented in parallel.

-s*

[Sherwin]

(this goes for any centrally held personal data)

That database will be hosted on Windows machines operated by monkeys and accessed by Windows machines operated by monkeys.

Do you really feel safe with your private data being given out to everyone on the monkeys' jokes forwarding list when those systems get hit by a virus?

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in Europe. Do we need to encourage it?

[SteveJobs]

Originally posted by Sherwin:
(this goes for any centrally held personal data)

That database will be hosted on Windows machines operated by monkeys and accessed by Windows machines operated by monkeys.

Do you really feel safe with your private data being given out to everyone on the monkeys' jokes forwarding list when those systems get hit by a virus?

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in Europe. Do we need to encourage it?

But still, the monkeys already operate a database which possesses my name, place of living, birthday, criminal file, size, eye color, artist name, picture etc. etc. -- what would a DNA sample change if this sample was only a means of identification and therefore comparison and carried no other information?

I agree: A gorilla might break into the database and, as shrewd as most operators are, might find that not only this part of the genom might to be found in there. But again, this might happen to any sort of information that lies on a computer that is connected to the net.

Yet, I am quite interested in the identity theft argument: Can you elaborate on that? Do you have any articles / statistics supporting it?

Thx,
Steve