Hospital keeps secret DNA File

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

And will you be happy when you try to get health insurance and they charge you 3 times the average premium because you are predisposed to certain illnesses?

Or what if you don't get a certain job because the employer found some indicator in your DNA that they didn't like?

DNA is a very very personal thing, and as our understanding of each gene grows, it can potentially become very damaging to you.

Hey, I don't even like the idea to start with - but it's the kind of keep-an-eye-in-that-one thing that most scared conservative types would like, which is why I thought it's go down well over there.

Prof.Badass

partyatmygaff wrote: »

I doubt it would be legal for that information to be passed on to 3rd parties.

Trusted employees sometimes give away information they shouldn't for money. Also this;

Shryke wrote: »

What they did wasn't very legal in the first place.

One obstacle to having a DNA database is the fact that getting DNA from all the citizens would be a huge undertaking. Well we've just removed that one for everyone under 25 (which includes me ). I hope they are made to destroy these samples (as was suggested in the article).

Quint

The only shocking thing here is that Run To The Hills isn't the OP

phantom_lord

vinylmesh wrote: »

One obstacle to having a DNA database is the fact that getting DNA from all the citizens would be a huge undertaking. Well we've just removed that one for everyone under 25 (which includes me ). I hope they are made to destroy these samples (as was suggested in the article).

what's wrong with having a dna database? surely it'd be very helpful in fighting crime?

brianthebard

Not happy about this at all at all.

lostexpectation

need a destroy my records campaign, ala countmeout

lostexpectation

phantom_lord wrote: »

what's wrong with having a dna database? surely it'd be very helpful in fighting crime?

when we have proper oversight ya can come back to us on that.

http://irishjournalist.blogspot.com/2009/12/monitoring-surveillance-intercepts-in.html

hooradiation

phantom_lord wrote: »

what's wrong with having a dna database? surely it'd be very helpful in fighting crime?

It's not as useful as movies would have you think, thanks to the methods used to match two DNA samples and the birthday problem


erm....I mean rabble rabble rabble scum rabble rabble things were better in my day rabble rabble crime is outta control!

humanji

hooradiation wrote: »

It's not as useful as movies would have you think, thanks to the methods used to match two DNA samples and the birthday problem


erm....I mean rabble rabble rabble scum rabble rabble things were better in my day rabble rabble crime is outta control!

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I think that article may be blowign things out of purportion because it says:

A DUBLIN hospital has built a database containing the DNA of almost every person born in the country since 1984 without their knowledge in an apparent breach of data protection laws.

But then says:

The hospital has collected almost 2.8m samples since 1966 and diagnosed 1,815 disorders. Samples collected prior to 1984 were destroyed after being contaminated by water damage.

So since 1966 2.8m samples were taken, but all before 1984 were destroyed. So you'd assume there'd be a lot less than 2.8m, which is still hardly counts as "almost ever person born in the country".

Also, in any other country I'd be wary of this. But this being Ireland, I really wouldn't be surprised if it's a case of them not being arsed getting reid of them.

I'm not happy that they're being kept, but the story definitely is trying to make it out to be more sinister that it it.

hooradiation

humanji wrote: »

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I think that article may be blowign things out of purportion because it says:



But then says:



So since 1966 2.8m samples were taken, but all before 1984 were destroyed. So you'd assume there'd be a lot less than 2.8m, which is still hardly counts as "almost ever person born in the country".

Also, in any other country I'd be wary of this. But this being Ireland, I really wouldn't be surprised if it's a case of them not being arsed getting reid of them.

I'm not happy that they're being kept, but the story definitely is trying to make it out to be more sinister that it it.

I don't care about the story, i was just pointing out that DNA profiling and databases aren't the panacea to crime people seem to think it is, given their inherent statistical problems.

lostexpectation

they have info for people 16 and younger, there a follow up article in the times, but its not online , it said they lost some computers with the data on, so maybe if blood samples were destroyed accidentally ,that may have some sort of 'digital' dna data still.

My name is URL

lol at how people don't seem to mind this but get worked up over youngsters throwing snowballs

hooradiation

My name is URL wrote: »

lol at how people don't seem to mind this but get worked up over youngsters throwing snowballs

That's because society is crumbling and if we had the DNA of everyone on file we could round up anyone with snowball throwing genes in their DNA, kill them and sterilize their parents for raising such a delinquent.

But you wouldn't care about that, up in your snowball proof ivory tower would you!

brianthebard

humanji wrote: »

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I think that article may be blowign things out of purportion because it says:



But then says:



So since 1966 2.8m samples were taken, but all before 1984 were destroyed. So you'd assume there'd be a lot less than 2.8m, which is still hardly counts as "almost ever person born in the country".

If you read the part you bolded yourself you'd see it said 'born in the country since 1984'.

amacachi

Anyone else contacting their TD about this? Yet to notice it mentioned on RTE or anything.

phantom_lord

My name is URL wrote: »

lol at how people don't seem to mind this but get worked up over youngsters throwing snowballs

why should i care if they have a dna sample of mine?

Mike 1972

brianthebard wrote: »

in the country since 1984'.

Why does one hospital in Dublin have DNA samples for "the entire country" ?

Were other hospitals sending the stuff there for some reason or is it it just a general assumption that there is nothing outside of Dublin ?

My name is URL

phantom_lord wrote: »

why should i care if they have a dna sample of mine?

Well each to their own I suppose.. but I wouldn't be too keen (for example) on finding out that insurance companies were garnering info about my genetic make-up in order to determine what my premium is.. especially when I had no idea that a record of my DNA was been kept

there's a whole plethora of uses for your DNA.. not all of them would be of benefit to you

phantom_lord

there's a huge difference between the example you give and what actually is happening. i don't think having my dna on record affects me at all. if the database is used for research purposes and something good comes out of it then surely that's useful.

Mike 1972

phantom_lord wrote: »

if the database is used for research purposes and something good comes out of it then surely that's useful.

Thats a rather big "if" is it not ?

Crazy_marble

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Why does one hospital in Dublin have DNA samples for "the entire country" ?

Were other hospitals sending the stuff there for some reason or is it it just a general assumption that there is nothing outside of Dublin ?

Temple Street do the heel prick tests for the entire country, AFAIK.

oppenheimer1

Stupid sensationalist media, it isn't a DNA database, its a blood test database, the dna information hasn't been extracted from it. Its quite useless in its current form apart from for research. You can't wander down and request a dna comparison test in the hospital.

Personally I cannot see anything wrong with it, its typical busybodys making a fuss over nothing as usual

phantom_lord

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Thats a rather big "if" is it not ?

no i don't think so?

My name is URL

Bit of a follow up in yesterdays Times - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6982446.ece

Two computer servers containing the records of almost 1m patients were stolen from the Children’s University hospital in Temple Street in 2007 and have never been recovered.

Patients’ details, including names, date of birth and reason for admission are thought to have been included.

found via

InReality

1984 eh ?

do.ob

InReality wrote: »

1984 eh ?

At least in Oceania there were no scumbags.

What's the point of privacy and liberty when there are people wearing tracksuits and claiming the dole and getting away with it. If giving up all my rights helps us fight the scum then sign me up!

Mike 1972

do.ob wrote: »

If giving up all my rights helps us fight the scum then sign me up!

So you would happily have me enslave you sieze all your worldly goods and eventually kill you If it can be shown that this will somehow help us fight the scum ?

Rented Mule

do.ob wrote: »

If giving up all my rights helps us fight the scum then sign me up!

The day you give up all of your rights....the scum win.

do.ob

Mike 1972 wrote: »

So you would happily have me enslave you sieze all your worldly goods and eventually kill you If it can be shown that this will somehow help us fight the scum ?

Yes. I'd gladly live in a much crapper and more unfair world for the fleeting satisfaction I'd feel every time i hear of a scumbag being shown who's boss. I realise that with no human rights I might end up on the recieving end of such punishments (unfairly), but then i am providing satisfaction to all the other citizens when they hear of another "scumbag" getting his comeuppance. In fact they may even show the video of me being abused by the prison gaurds to further enhance the happiness my humiliation brings the people.

As a bleeding-heart pinko liberal you just can't understand how important this sentiment is to people like me.

Mike 1972

do.ob wrote: »

Yes. I'd gladly live in a much crapper and more unfair world for the fleeting satisfaction I'd feel every time i hear of a scumbag being shown who's boss. I realise that with no human rights I might end up on the recieving end of such punishments (unfairly), but then i am providing satisfaction to all the other citizens when they hear of another "scumbag" getting his comeuppance. In fact they may even show the video of me being abused by the prison gaurds to further enhance the happiness my humiliation brings the people.

There are countries where you would probably feel a lot more at home.

You should give some of them a try.

Let us know how you get on (In the unklikely event that you are able to......)