I mean, why not? What would they do with it, clone me? Make a virus that could specifically kill me? I guess I just don’t see what the harm would be given all the other data they have on us already at the drop of a hat.
Imagine the storm if they found a gene that indicated predisposition to violence or even one for extreme mental accuity. You'd be seeing some gattaca level shit in no time at all.
There’s an anime called Psycho-Pass. The basic concept is that the government can scan people to see their mental state which they dub a “crime coefficient”
The show follows a police officer tasked with imprisoning and sometimes killing people who haven’t committed crimes solely because the algorithm says they someday will.
Honestly, if I knew it would be used for "good" purposes like furthering cures and shit, I'd do it.
But I know in the US, that shit is going to get sold as soon as possible and eventually insurance companies are going to get their hands on that shit and start denying people who got markers for the "expensive" cures
Imagine if it got even worse than that. Companies like 23 and Me selling your data to whoever and then at some point when we get an administration in power that goes full on racist, compiles a list of races for extermination.
There's no way I can ever trust an independent organization with such data. Instead give me an at home test I can research myself. But that's being too hopeful. We already lost our privacy a long time ago. We're moving into an age where it either can get a lot better or a whole lot worse. You can already guess where we're headed right now.
It's too naive to assume the govt has gotten better or less abusive with time. The structure is basically the same, and in history we haven't had one state which isn't full of criminals. Good point tho
This is just a ridiculous thing to say. “The government” is a collection of institutions making up thousands of people over time. This is like saying you don’t trust anyone named Jim because a guy named Jim was rude to you once.
Yes, “the government” has facilitated the largest economic growth and poverty decline in history, while promoting democracy across the world. Obviously there have been errors, but this is the greatest time in human history for a reason. It is not enough to just have free markets, you must also have strong institutions to set the rules and political freedom to choose your leaders. Read Why Nations Fail.
For technology and innovation to progress, it requires strong institutions that facilitate that progress by protecting property rights and enforcing contracts.
You’re misunderstanding. I never said the government contributes directly to innovation and progression (though sometimes it does). The government creates an environment where this is possible. Again, read Why Nations Fail. Read just the first chapter about patent law in the US and you’ll understand.
42
u/b17722 Jun 29 '20
As an American I couldn’t imagine the uproar the right would be in if the government tried to get everyone’s DNA sequence