When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
InterNations
India

Collection Of DNA Spells Doom In India

Two scientists reading DNA genetic code
Two scientists reading DNA genetic code

-Analysis-

In 2007, the department of biotechnology in India began drafting a controversial legislative bill to collect and store the DNA information of Indian citizens in a national databank to help solve criminal cases. Since then, the measure has largely failed to move forward due to inadequate safeguards to secure this sensitive personal information. The Human DNA Profiling Bill is now back in parliament but it still does not fully address those previous concerns. I would go on to argue that this measure is even more dangerous now than it was when it was first raised a decade ago because of the current political climate in India.

The DNA legislation, if passed, could easily be another tool used by India's nationalist government to undermine the privacy of journalists, activists and even students.

Information as important as a person's DNA could soon be in the hands of a repressive government, under which Hindu extremist mobs have lynched Muslim minorities with impunity and extrajudicial killings have shown no signs of abating. In India today, sedition charges are routinely used to suppress free speech and minority rights. The local media has also increasingly been censored. The DNA legislation, if passed, could easily be another tool used by India's nationalist government to undermine the privacy of journalists, activists and even students.

The legislation as it stands now would allow medical laboratories, police stations and courts to collect DNA samples from unidentified dead people, missing persons and suspects accused of crimes punishable by seven years or more in prison. These samples, in the case of a crime, are then matched to samples collected from the scene of a crime. This data could then be used in courtroom trials, as well as to identify the missing and dead. While DNA technology has been used in other countries to provide compelling evidence in criminal cases, it could easily be misused in India, a country where law enforcement has previously been accused of "fake encounters' — wherein security forces murder suspects under the pretext of self-defense.

The DNA legislation has provoked a nationwide debate in India. Critics have noted that DNA collection and sampling is also a demanding undertaking in a country with a population of 1.3 billion. For me, however, it's the security concerns that are most problematic. The highly invasive potential of this technology could prove to be dangerous for the civil liberties — already under threat — of Indian citizens.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Putin's "Pig-Like" Latvia Threat Is A Chilling Reminder Of What's At Stake In Ukraine

In the Ukraine war, Russia's military spending is as high as ever. Now the West is alarmed because the Kremlin leader is indirectly hinting at a possible attack on Latvia, a NATO member. It is a reminder of a growing danger to Europe.

Photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Pavel Lokshin

-Analysis-

BERLIN — Russian President Vladimir Putin sometimes chooses downright bizarre occasions to launch his threats against the West. It was at Monday's meeting of the Russian Human Rights Council, where Putin expressed a new, deep concern. It was not of course about the human rights of the thousands of political prisoners in his own country, but about the Russian population living in neighboring Latvia, which happens to be a NATO member, having to take language tests.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest