Do Health and Forensic DNA Databases Increase Racial Disparities?

In the 1990s, scientists, social advocates, policy makers, and entrepreneurs debated the promises and perils of emerging digital technologies that could bring about enormous and wide-reaching changes in society. One set of debates revolved around the Internet while the other focused on genomics. Both framed the contours of the technological and social shifts in terms of the digital divide [1]. Politicians and entrepreneurs argued that connection to the Internet would be a basic necessity for all citizens and create a better society. Policy makers were concerned that women, racial and ethnic minorities, the working class, and unemployed citizens would be left out of the network revolution if they didn't connect to the Internet. Scientists such as Walter Gilbert worried that the increase of biological information in databases from new genomic technologies would divide the world into haves and have-nots [2]. Instead of new technologies ameliorating social inequalities, many feared they would exacerbate them. In both cases of technological innovation, “access” would be the key to creating a more equitable, just, and democratic society. However, as the decade has unfolded, it...