Last week the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the storage of DNA and fingerprints (biodata) of innocent individuals in the UK was an infringement of human rights and “could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society.” Such information breached a persons right to privacy.Police have been ordered to destroy over 1.6 billion samples. The Government and police argue however that storing this information is a key weapon in fighting crime.
- Would you feel that your right to privacy had been violated if your DNA information were stored for police reference?
- Is the storage of this information reasonable if it helps the police do their job?
- Should everyone have their DNA on a database to help with police investigations? What issues might this raise?
- Is there an alternative solution?
