The Ministry of Justice was asked today to prepare an opinion on the possibility of establishing a national DNA database of the entire population. Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman MK Michael Eitan (Likud) made the request. Eitan stated the basic conditions for preserving individual rights.
Eitan asked for the opinion during a discussion on a government bill to determine the police's authority for the handling of DNA samples taken from people suspected, accused of, or convicted of criminal offenses. The samples taken from blood or hair samples to produce data or used for identification. Police representatives said the samples would be kept in a database that the police would manage and use in investigations and prevent crime, as well as to clarify and verify identities.
Eitan asked to expand the database. He said a national DNA database would serve individuals and the community in other areas, such as identifying missing persons in natural disasters and for future medical needs. He said that in future, society could derive immense advantages from developing technologies, but not at the expense of harm to individual rights.
Adv. Leila Margalit of the Association for Civil Rights opposed establishing a national DNA database, which was liable to create a 1984-type reality. She recommended adopting the Canadian model for a database, which includes samples only of people convicted of serious crimes.
Eitan asked that the Ministry of Justice position paper be written jointly with the Knesset information and research department.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on October 28, 2004