FBI building system that blows away fingerprinting
Quip:
TAMPA – The Federal Bureau of Investigation is expanding beyond its traditional fingerprint-focused collection practices to develop a new biometrics system that will include DNA records, 3-D facial imaging, palm prints and voice scans, blended to create what's known as "multi-modal biometrics."
Erm, ok, but then there's this:
The FBI, under the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005, is now allowed to collect reference-sample DNA material for biometrics analysis purposes at the time of booking, Grever said. "DNA has become a powerful and timely tool," said Grever, adding there are no "privacy or civil liberties issues beyond those associated with fingerprints."
I call shenanegans.
A fingerprint is a print of your finger.
Your DNA is a part of you, or, in a broader sense, all of you.
No privacy issues? You kiddin' me? And, what if you're booked, and found not guilty? Should your DNA be saved for 'reference', or tossed?
I'm not saying we shouldn't file criminals and such, but where do the lines between taking DNA from newborns, and taking them from criminals, intersect? It has to intersect at some point, and what bucket will it all ultimately be dumped in? Will I be getting a call in 10 years from a Pharma company because my DNA shows my family is prone to Heart Disease, so I need to be on X medication, ask my doctor?
Scary, sometimes, how you think the world might turn out. Sometimes I feel like such a Luddite.
