The Council for Responsible Genetics, GeneWatch UK, and Privacy International have teamed up to launch a new project on DNA forensics. The Forensic Genetics Policy Initiative aims:

to build global civil society’s capacities to engage in the policy-making processes on the development of national and international DNA databases and cross-border sharing of forensic information and to protect human rights by setting international standards for DNA databases.

The centerpiece of the initiative is a significant new website, which makes available key resources on the human rights and racial justice issues surrounding the alarming expansion of forensic DNA databases worldwide. A new blog examines the latest developments in the world of forensic DNA (a particularly insightful post is available here). You can join the conversation on the site's discussion forum.

The initiative has also produced a policy wiki with information on each of the 60+ countries worldwide that operate national DNA databases. These are indispensable resources for anyone interested in the social, political, and ethical side of DNA forensics worldwide.

Previously on Biopolitical Times:

• Signs of Skepticism About DNA Forensics
• Police Balk At Submitting Their Own DNA to Forensic Databases
• DNA Forensics: Setting the (Fool’s) Gold Standard
• California Court Deems DNA Collection from Arrestees Unconstitutional
  

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