What are some rights and issues involving genetic (DNA) profiling?

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or
DNA, is a genetic instruction set used as the basic information
value for living creatures. Every carbon-based lifeform on Earth has DNA, which acts as
a blueprint on which cells are built. There is DNA in every cell in the human body. DNA
is composed of nucleotides, which are made of nitrogen and sugar, and
bases, which are four information nodes that can be read by RNA, a
slightly different nucleic acid.

DNA
Profiling (also Genetic Profiling or
DNA/Genetic Typing) is a method of reading and translating the
information coded on DNA strands and identifying which parts are unique to an
individual. As a science, it was codified in 1985 by Dr. Alec
Jeffreys, who found that strands of DNA contained repeating sequences that
could be compared to find differences. Over time, as more parts of DNA became known and
understood, DNA profiling became one of the most powerful tools in criminal
investigations, offering a more foolproof method of
identification.

Today, the U.S. Government operates the
largest DNA database in the world, with over nine million distinct records. They are
able to match samples with their existing records with a very low error
rate.

In recent years, many different arguments for and
against DNA profiling have risen, often in response to crimes and courtroom evidence.
For example, while it is possible to base blood relationship on DNA, it is impossible to
prove exact relation, and there is also the possibility of
Chimeras, or individuals possessing two differing sets of genes.
DNA evidence is still a useful tool, but it is becoming easier to falsify DNA at a crime
scene, and as information becomes public knowledge, criminals are able to contaminate
crime scenes to slow investigation.

One of the most common
complaints about DNA profiling is method of collection; people leave genetic material
around all the time: in garbage, on cigarettes, in used tissues, and there is no
prohibition on law enforcement collecting, analyzing, and storing this genetic
information. Because of this, many people are on record without knowing it, and those
records could be used to place them at crime scenes in the future, or bring them into
investigations of which they had no knowledge. Many people value their privacy and do
not want this information on record, for fear that it could be used for tracking
purposes, or stolen by private individuals for other
reasons.

Another strong complaint about DNA profiling is
that since DNA contains information about ethnicity and pre-existing medical conditions,
if this information is made available under Fair Use, it could be used for
discriminatory purposes.

As technology for DNA profiling
grows in scope and ability, more issues like this will arise. The American Civil
Liberties Union represent cases where individuals feel their privacy has been violated.
Laws regarding how DNA databases impact privacy are still being
drafted.