Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

FORENSIC GENETICS

Protecting against racial bias in DNA databasing

In this issue, a protocol for querying criminal DNA databases is developed to prevent profile discovery, therefore reducing the potential for racial bias.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Comparison of US population with DNA collection for NDIS deposition, categorized as defined by the US Census.

References

  1. U. S. Code § 12592: Index to Facilitate Law Enforcement Exchange of DNA Identification Information https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/34/12592 (1994).

  2. Privacy Impact Assessment National DNA Index System (NDIS) (FBI, 2004); https://www.fbi.gov/services/information-management/foipa/privacy-impact-assessments/ndis

  3. Murphy, E. & Tong, J. Calif. Law Rev. 108, 6 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Blindenbach, J. A., Jagadeesh, K. A., Bejerano, G. & Wu, D. J. Nat. Comput. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43588-021-00058-3 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. National DNA Database Strategy Board Biennial Report2018–2020 (Home Office, National Police Chiefs’ Council, 2020).

  6. CODIS - NDIS Statistics (FBI, 2021); https://www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/codis/ndis-statistics#Tables

  7. US and World Population Clock (US Census Bureau, 2021); www.census.gov/popclock/

  8. Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (UK Government, 2012); www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/9/contents/enacted

  9. Ethnicity and Religion of Non-UK Born Population in England and Wales, 2011 Census (Home Office, National Statistics, 2011); https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ethnicity-and-religion-of-non-uk-born-population-in-england-and-wales-2011-census

  10. National DNA Database Statistics Q3 2020 to 2021 (Home Office, 2021); https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-dna-database-statistics

  11. Goldstein, J. New York Times www.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/us/police-agencies-are-assembling-records-of-dna.html (2013).

  12. Ransom, J. & Southall, A. New York Times www.nytimes.com/2019/08/15/nyregion/nypd-dna-database.html (2019).

  13. M’Charek, A., Toom, V. & Jong, L. Sci. Technol. Hum. Values 45, 804–828 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Rapid DNA (FBI, 2021); www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/codis/rapid-dna (2021).

  15. Nelson, M., Chase, R. & DePalma, L. Making Sense of DNA Backlogs, 2012 — Myths vs. Reality National Institute of Justice. (NIJ, 2013); www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/243347.pdf

  16. Kennett, D. Forensic Sci. Int. 301, 107–117 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Ohm, P. & Frankle, J. Florida Law Rev. 777, 821–822 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Denise Syndercombe Court.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Syndercombe Court, D. Protecting against racial bias in DNA databasing. Nat Comput Sci 1, 249–250 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43588-021-00064-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43588-021-00064-5

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing