4 ms·

I would gladly donate my DNA to be tested to find criminals. I signed up to 23andMe years ago just for fun, but if that data can be used to help someone who was

I would gladly donate my DNA to be tested to find criminals. I signed up to 23andMe years ago just for fun, but if that data can be used to help someone who was hurt by someone genetically related to me, I am all for it. Reading the reactions here makes me feel crazy, as if their intention is to make me feel manipulated or otherwise bad. It is really interesting to me how many people are fearful of dystopian futures that could play out instead of excited to actually potentially help identify a serial killer.

jessaustin 8y ago
The intent is to encourage you to consider the relative incidence rates of various misfortunes. Police ineptitude and the prosecutor's fallacy are vastly more common in this world than serial killers are. You seem eager to screw over your cousin, but it could just as well be you who is screwed over.
- oh_sigh 8y ago
  Serial killing is the extreme example, but is police ineptitude and prosecutor's fallacy more common in this world than rape, murder, assault and battery, burglary, etc?
  - jessaustin 8y ago
    How could this question really be answered? You'd have to trust those whose unworthiness to that trust forms the question's very premise. Police and prosecutors couldn't be all that effective, since their ultimate argument seen here amounts to little more than an extortion threat: If we aren't all-powerful, someone might get raped! Those who wish to avoid crimes equip themselves to stop criminals, rather than afflicting the rest of us with counterproductive attempts to further empower those in authority. Crime is a quality of society. All human societies will see some level of crime, but there is a great deal of variation. A sick society in which the police are powerful will simply see more crimes committed by police. A healthy society will see fewer crimes, no matter how many police quit for more productive occupations.
jchook 8y ago
The only folks with this skewed perspective on the issue already donated their DNA to a company and simply want to convince themselves that it was a great idea.
- peu4000 8y ago
  And then there are the people who delude themselves into thinking privacy will save them from governments.
  - jessaustin 8y ago
    Privacy is an important tool, but it is just one tool. We have many at our disposal. Still, waste is foolish.
decebalus1 8y ago
> I would gladly donate my DNA to be tested to find criminals. The definition of criminal can change overnight. This may not be used only to catch serial killers. Nobody is stopping the feds to use this to target political dissidents. I don't get why anyone who knows about COINTELPRO can side with the feds on issues like this. It's not like they've stopped, actually. Check out what the feds investigated about the neo-Nazi rally in Sacramento. Still want them to handle your DNA?

jessaustin 8y ago

The intent is to encourage you to consider the relative incidence rates of various misfortunes. Police ineptitude and the prosecutor's fallacy are vastly more common in this world than serial killers are. You seem eager to screw over your cousin, but it could just as well be you who is screwed over.

oh_sigh 8y ago
Serial killing is the extreme example, but is police ineptitude and prosecutor's fallacy more common in this world than rape, murder, assault and battery, burglary, etc?
- jessaustin 8y ago
  How could this question really be answered? You'd have to trust those whose unworthiness to that trust forms the question's very premise. Police and prosecutors couldn't be all that effective, since their ultimate argument seen here amounts to little more than an extortion threat: If we aren't all-powerful, someone might get raped! Those who wish to avoid crimes equip themselves to stop criminals, rather than afflicting the rest of us with counterproductive attempts to further empower those in authority. Crime is a quality of society. All human societies will see some level of crime, but there is a great deal of variation. A sick society in which the police are powerful will simply see more crimes committed by police. A healthy society will see fewer crimes, no matter how many police quit for more productive occupations.

jchook 8y ago

The only folks with this skewed perspective on the issue already donated their DNA to a company and simply want to convince themselves that it was a great idea.

peu4000 8y ago
And then there are the people who delude themselves into thinking privacy will save them from governments.
- jessaustin 8y ago
  Privacy is an important tool, but it is just one tool. We have many at our disposal. Still, waste is foolish.

decebalus1 8y ago

> I would gladly donate my DNA to be tested to find criminals. The definition of criminal can change overnight. This may not be used only to catch serial killers. Nobody is stopping the feds to use this to target political dissidents. I don't get why anyone who knows about COINTELPRO can side with the feds on issues like this. It's not like they've stopped, actually. Check out what the feds investigated about the neo-Nazi rally in Sacramento. Still want them to handle your DNA?