We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Genetic privacy needs a more nuanced approach

Click here to access article by Misha Angrist from Nature. 

Privacy from government snooping agencies has become a major issue especially for activists fighting against more government encroachment on their civil liberties. DNA research is providing another invasive tool for such agencies.
One can imagine law enforcement salivating at the prospect of turning a bloodstain into a name and address.
If you are unfamiliar with this issue, as I was, I suggest you read this earlier article entitled "Genetic privacy" from Nature before you read this one.
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