DNA ruling a privacy victory
Updated on 04 December 2008
Genetic records of almost a million people without a current criminal record may have to be destroyed after a ruling by the European court of human rights.
The court has ruled that keeping the DNA and fingerprints of two British men was a breach of their human rights.
It said police should not have kept details of the two men, neither of whom had been convicted of any offence.
The government said it was "disappointed"; while human rights campaigners called it a victory for liberty and privacy.
Hugh Whittall
Joining Jon Snow is Hugh Whittall, the director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which reports on the ethical questions raised by biological and medical research.
DNA database samples: interactive map
Britain's police forces hold more than five million DNA samples on file.
Channel 4 News online obtained a force-by-force breakdown of the data.
Use our interactive map to see how many people are on the DNA database in your area.
