HGC's report Worried you might not be the biological father of your child? Or are you an unscrupulous journalist chasing a scoop on an unfaithful celebrity? Today, nothing prevents you from collecting DNA from, say, a coffee mug, and analysing it. The possibility that people may obtain samples without consent lies behind one of [the] main recommendations of the Human Genetics Commission [HGC]” (The Guardian), a UK government advisory body that published a major report on the use and storage of genetic data in May. If the HGC has its way, it will be illegal to “deceitfully obtain and analyse another person's genetic information for non-medical purposes” (BBC News), helping to curb genetic discrimination at work, for example. An “exception would apply to the police, who could legally obtain, analyse and store DNA samples without consent” (New Scientist).

David King, of the pressure group Human Genetics Alert, accused the commission of “pulling its punches.” It “failed to back a legislative ban on discrimination, merely calling for the Government to consider such a ban”, he said (The Times). “I am reminded of Sherlock Holmes' case of the watchdog that did not bark” (The Guardian).

Independent bodies would “oversee DNA databases used by the police and by medical researchers to prevent Britain becoming a “Big Brother” state”(The Guardian). This has implications for projects such as Biobank UK, a database that will eventually contain DNA samples from 500,000 volunteers. Outlawing “covert testing would put the UK ahead of other countries”, said one commissioner. “While it may not stop covert tests it may force people to think twice before doing it”(BBC News).