The FBI has set up a national electronic database of DNA samples taken from American criminals, following in the footsteps of Britain, which set up a similar database in 1995. The US database already includes 250 000 samples from convicted felons and will soon include a further 350 000 DNA profiles.
In Britain, the database also holds DNA profiles from suspects in criminal investigations, which are removed if a suspect is acquitted. But fears about civil rights have limited the scope of the US database. The American Civil Liberties Union says it remains 鈥渄eeply concerned鈥� that the information might be misused.
