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December 01, 2009
Something is rotten in the state of Britain
According to a November 11, 2009 New York Times story , "Britain has one of the largest DNA databases in the world, with profiles of over five million people, or 8 percent of the population."
8 percent of the population?The home of George Orwell becomes ever more like the author's imagined all-powerful state.
More: "The police currently have the power to take DNA or fingerprints from anyone at the point of arrest and keep the information indefinitely...."
Along with England's increasing surveillance of its population — according to a 2006 BBC report, there were then 4.2 million closed circuit TV cameras in the country, "about 1 for every 14 people... viewing us as many as 300 times a day" — you'd think it'd be the safest place on Earth.
Why isn't it so?
Perhaps the underlying premise needs reexamination.
When everyone is under watch 24/7, well, that's an awful lot of watchers required to keep an eye on them.
December 1, 2009 at 12:01 PM | Permalink
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Comments
Recently there has been some hullabaloo over a police superintendent in the UK apparently saying that they were arresting more people without reason, just so they could get them in the DNA database.
http://techdirt.com/articles/20091124/1045307072.shtml
Joe, techdirt has some great, interesting articles, regarding technology and how it interacts with other parts of the world: business, home life, laws, etc.
Posted by: EEJ | Dec 3, 2009 12:39:27 PM
Screen DNA is different then a DNA Database. The DNA screening has to do with checking for genetic disease, not capturing a DNA fingerprint.
And yes, it's Ron Paul.
Posted by: Rocketboy | Dec 3, 2009 7:12:59 AM
Eight percent? We may be ahead of that curve: a 2008 law requires hospitals to take a DNA sample of every newborn.
Yeah, I know it's Ron Paul, but still - do a search `"Ron Paul"+DNA` or just look at he first Google match:
http://www.naturalnews.com/025116.html
"In April of 2008, President Bush signed into law S.1858 which allows the federal government to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S."
Posted by: John A | Dec 1, 2009 11:11:48 PM
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