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posted by cmn32480 on Sunday January 31 2016, @08:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the that's-a-little-invasive-don't-cha-think dept.

Glyn Moody reports via TechDirt

Kuwait has the dubious honor of being the first nation to require everyone's DNA--including that of visitors to the country. The Kuwait Times has a frighteningly matter-of-fact article about the plan, which is currently being put into operation. Here's how the DNA will be gathered:

Collecting samples from citizens will be done by various mobile centers that will be moved according to a special plan amongst government establishments and bodies to collect samples from citizens in the offices they work in. In addition, fixed centers will be established at the interior ministry and citizen services centers to allow citizens [to] give samples while doing various transactions.

Those who are not citizens of Kuwait will be sampled when they apply for residence permits:

Collection will done on issuing or renewing residency visas through medical examinations done by the health ministry for new residency visas and through the criminal evidence department on renewing them.

As for common-or-garden[-variety] visitors to the country:

Collection will be done at a special center at Kuwait International Airport, where in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Department, airlines, and embassies, visitors will be advised on their rights and duties towards the DNA law.

[...] The DNA will not be used for medical purposes, such as checking for genetic markers of disease, which will avoid issues of whether people should be told about their predisposition to possibly serious illnesses. Nor will the DNA database be used for "lineage or genealogical reasons". That's an important point: a complete nation's DNA would throw up many unexpected paternity and maternity results, which could have massive negative effects on the families concerned. It's precisely those kinds of practical and ethical issues that advocates of wider DNA sampling and testing need to address, but rarely do.


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  • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Sunday January 31 2016, @07:55PM

    by HiThere (866) on Sunday January 31 2016, @07:55PM (#297504) Journal

    Just because one person writes something doesn't make it general consensus.

    OTOH, e-mail that was unencrypted should always have been thought of as being "as private as a postcard". This doesn't mean I'm OK with someone else reading it, it means I know I can't prevent it. And any "nerd" who is worthy of the name should also know that. This is why there have been periodic attempts to get encryption built into email programs. Kmail has it, but none of my contacts use Kmail. I could sign my emails, I guess, but imagine trying to sign this post. Public key, even when just used as signing, requires support by the applications.

    If I see the govenment heading towards dictatorship, this doesn't mean I'm ok with it. It may mean I don't see any reasonable way to stop it.

    --
    Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
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