DNA Databases and George Orwell’s 1984

Sunday’s lead article in The New York Times was titled, “F.B.I. and States Vastly Expanding Databases of DNA.” The article described the expansion of DNA collection by law enforcement agencies and the Federal Government.

The article was disturbing because it described how this program has expanded over time. At first, DNA was only collected for convicted murderers and sex offenders. Then, all convicts had to supply DNA samples, even for relatively minor crimes; in some cases, misdemeanors.

Law enforcement justified this expansion by arguing that privacy rights under the Fourth Amendment were diminished by criminal acts.

Now, however, the programs have been expanded to include anyone taken into custody. Thus, some innocent people have been added to the DNA database.

This is disturbing for a number of reasons. First of all, the DNA database could be misused by the government. Just because we have benevolent leaders now doesn’t protect us from future rulers. We know that power corrupts, and a DNA database provides enormous power to convict or exonerate individuals.

Secondly, the DNA database is skewed against minorities, especially blacks and Hispanics. Even though this matches the current demographics of the criminal population, that doesn’t make it right. The DNA database works against a level playing field in the legal process.

And I shuddered to read the final sentence of this article, a sentence used throughout time to justify all kinds of actions by police states around the world, “If you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to fear.”