U.S. Set to Begin a Vast Expansion of DNA Sampling – New York Times

While I agree that there is a need to track criminals, especially in violent or sexual crimes, this seems to be very over-reaching. The government can now take DNA from essentially any person it wishes and lock it away in their databases.

I know this sounds Orwellian, but is mandatory sampling at traffic stops very far off? Also, who is to say that there won’t be trumped-up charges brought so that the FBI or whomever can obtain a sample of your DNA? Then you are faced with a long battle through the courts to get your information removed when the matter is resolved properly.

Again, I agree that the idea is great. What I question is whether the law could have been written to be more concise and narrow the scope under which it operates.

UPDATE: Here is another article on the same program. This one seems to be a little more involved and technical.

France (yes, France) actually is initiating a good idea. Handing out USB keys to students to use at school and wherever they go. It’s an amazingly simple idea, and a lot cheaper than handing out laptops to students. (Not to mention less risky)

The premise is simple: Give students the office software, browser, email client, and whatever else the school deems necessary in one little 3 inch, pocket-sized package. The office software is free and open to be distributed. The browser can be pre-bookmarked with the high school homepage, Wikipedia, and anything else the students could find useful. Instant messaging could be loaded for the kids to use at home or anywhere they want to go outside of school that has a computer.

Run out of paper at home? Print the paper when you get to class or better yet, just email it to the instructor. Find that page you needed to help with your paper while researching at school, but ELO is almost over? Bookmark the page and go back to it tonight at home or tomorrow when you get back to school. Have a bill you are submitting for Youth and Government and your team needs to review it? Keep it on your USB and email it from wherever, whenever.

What about viruses? Have all workstations scheduled to scan any new drives for viruses (shouldn’t take but a minute on a 1GB USB). What about instant messaging? Any IT administrator should have the ports and protocols blocked already by default.

What if someone loses their USB? Charge a replacement fee just like if a book was lost.

I’m sure there are holes in this idea, and detractors will always find issues I haven’t addressed. I believe that this would be more positive than negative. I am now off to look for grants and to email USB vendors.

Any thoughts?