What are some concerns about the use of DNA fingerprinting? (2024)

FAQs

What are some concerns about the use of DNA fingerprinting? ›

DNA fingerprinting is commonly found to violate a person's privacy. It is used to falsely blame innocent people. It is a complicated and tedious process, at times giving results that are hard to interpret. Problems with data security in DNA fingerprinting also create problems for additional storage and privacy.

DNA fingerprinting is commonly found to violate a person's privacy. It is used to falsely blame innocent people. It is a complicated and tedious process, at times giving results that are hard to interpret. Problems with data security in DNA fingerprinting also create problems for additional storage and privacy.

One of the major drawbacks of DNA analysis is the risk of invasion of personal privacy. The data is stored in the database which can be accessed by anyone. It can be used negatively by employers to discriminate against a person based on their genetic disorders.

Though there are many regulations that have made DNA technology safer to research, there are still risks of infection, the creation of new pathogens and 'escape' into the environment.

Fingerprints Are Not Secure

This is one reason fingerprints have been easily planted in the scenes of a crime. People with grievances against others can decide to extract their fingerprints and plant them in the scenes of crime. This is a major flaw of fingerprint identification that has been noticed for years.

Genetic testing can provide only limited information about an inherited condition. The test often can't determine if a person will show symptoms of a disorder, how severe the symptoms will be, or whether the disorder will progress over time.

Environmental factors such as heat, sunlight, bacteria and mold can destroy DNA evidence. Identical twins share identical DNA. DNA from close relatives is more similar than DNA from unrelated persons. DNA cannot be used to determine WHEN the suspect was at the crime scene.

Low quantity of useable DNA. High variability in the amount of DNA left by touch; that is, high variability in the amount that one person leaves, and high variability in the amount left from person to person. DNA degradation, including the many factors that can cause DNA to break down over time.

What is a concern with DNA testing? ›

But it often depends on the type of test and the reason for the test. Also, genetic testing doesn't provide information about all possible genetic conditions and not all of them are 100% accurate. And they don't necessarily tell you about how severe symptoms may be or when a certain genetic condition may develop.

Since it was invented in 1984, DNA fingerprinting most often has been used in court cases and legal matters. It can: Physically connect a piece of evidence to a person or rule out someone as a suspect. Show who your parents, siblings, and other relatives may be.

It is quick and reliable, and that makes it particularly useful as a preliminary test. On the average, about 7% of the population have the same DQA type, so that different individuals will be distinguished about 93% of the time.

However, fingerprinting does have some limitations. While fingerprinting is a widely used method for identification purposes, it does have some limitations including a person's fingerprints are incomplete or damaged, it may be difficult to obtain a complete set of prints for accurate identification.

The test often can't determine if a person will show symptoms of a disorder, how severe the symptoms will be, or whether the disorder will progress over time. Another major limitation is the lack of treatment strategies for many genetic disorders once they are diagnosed.

A 2021 Consumer Reports investigation revealed that while direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies generally do a relatively decent job of protecting your DNA data, many “over-collect personal information about you and overshare some of your data with third parties.”