UK’s DNA Database Ruled Against the Rules
January 13, 2009 by AntivirusWare.The United Kingdom has kept DNA records of about 850,000 people. Now, this data is likely to be wiped from the UK’s national database. The reason this data is likely to be discarded is that the European Union has ruled that the keeping of this data is a breach of human rights.
The European Court of Human Rights decided on Thursday, December 4th that DNA details and even the fingerprints of people who were once suspected of a crime but later cleared of all charges may need to be removed.
The EU court has found that the state has overstepped any acceptable margin of appreciation by keeping the DNA details of people suspected, but not convicted, of crimes.
The case was brought before the EU court by two British citizens, Michael Marper and an anonymous person going only by the code name “S”. Both were cleared of crimes, and challenged the government over the keeping of their details in its database of DNA data on over 4.5 million people.
According to a United Kingdom Home Office representative, the government does not have to make a move on the ruling until March. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was displeased with the ruling, issuing a statement that claims DNA and fingerprinting are vital to crime fighting and provide more than 3,500 matches a month. Smith stressed that existing laws would remain in place until the Home Office had carefully considered the judgment.
The ruling attempts to address one of the primary ethical dilemmas of the surveillance age—where is the line between protecting privacy and protecting citizens from criminals?