Every person has unique DNA that could be used to identify them and can be very easy to acquire. Humans, on average, shed off about 40-100 strands and about 30,000-40,000 skin cells per minute. Also, DNA can be extracted from coffee cups, cigarette butts, and flaps of an envelope that have been licked.
Unauthorized DNA collection and testing are slowly rising and experts fear that it may start with celebrities and politicians. Some of their fans could be passionate, bordering on crazy, obsessive and sinister. So, experts warn against genetic paparazzi as the potential for celebrity DNA theft rises.
Genetic Paparazzi: Privacy in the Age of Technology
Genetic sequencing has become faster, cheaper, and more informative that they have become more useful in a human's life today. A 2021 paper in Consumer Genetic Technologies pointed out that as modern humans become accustomed to using and sharing genetic information through investigation or detecting diseases, it will not be long before it is capitalized and published in tabloids.
Celebrities and politicians could be the first target of genetic paparazzi. Their genetic materials will be pursued, published, and followed by a lawsuit, law professors from Georgia State University in Maryland warn.
"Imagine being able to produce a child with your favorite movie star using the DNA from a strand of hair or flake of skin. What sounds like the plot to a sci-fi thriller is actually not that far from reality," they wrote in a blog post.
Unfortunately, there might be no legal repercussions if it happens as countries, even the US, is ill-equipped to deal with the effects of celebrity DNA theft. The experts argue that it could throw the legal system into chaos, which is bad news for celebrities and the general public. More so, it is unlikely to change soon.
They argue in their essay for The Conversation that the US Congress is unlikely to recognize new rights or affirm previously rights that are not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution. That means there might not be improvements for individual protections for genetic material and information soon.
How May Celebrity DNA Theft Be Committed?
According to UNILAD, celebrity DNA theft can easily be committed through items like chewing gum and half-eaten food. The next thing you will know is that a celebrity's or someone's DNA could already be on eBay being sold.
The law professors explained that those items contain genetic DNA that could be used if someone wanted to use them to steal a celebrity's DNA. Authorities, like the police, used to collect strands of hair and skin flakes at crime scenes to gather evidence and identify the possible culprit.
But today, with cheaper and more accessible DNA readers, it would be harder to keep one's genetic code private. Pop star Madonna knew this and has reportedly been "DNA paranoid" for the last 10 years that she orders for her dressing rooms to be fully sterilized after use to prevent leaving any trace behind.
Lastly, they noted that courts would likely fit cases regarding genetic paparazzi into the legal framework of privacy rights. It would be interesting to see how courts would handle cases brought by public figures as celebrity DNA theft will have broader implications for the general public.
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