Interesting use of DNA databases

Off Topic
1

After the online DNA craze, the catching of that rapist/murderer and Georgia cops trying to catch a lady who had an abortion, I’ve started to become really interested in the whole DNA database thing.

Whether you’re liberal or more conservative leaning, I think anyone can see how it could be used for good and for bad and it will definitely be taken to the extreme in the near future.

On that note, I live in a fancy upscale resort-style apartment complex. Within the community there’s a sense of extreme entitlement and people feel they don’t have to clean up after their pets (I just have a cat). The problem isn’t too common yet, but they’re putting a new rule into effect that if they find animal excrement anywhere on the premises, they will take it to a lab, DNA test it and fine the owner $200. And all owners are required to give them a sample of their pet’s DNA.

While I don’t think this is bad, because I think it’s disgusting that people don’t pick up after their pets, I don’t see this going over well- because there was nothing mentioned about this in the lease.

2

Do they already have dog poop bag dispensers and garbage cans in the common areas? That would seem to be a less expensive way of encouraging voluntary compliance for a problem that, as you said, “isn’t too common yet.”

I just performed a quick Google search, and it seems there’s an entire business segment springing up around this whole dog poop DNA testing thing. For example: https://www.easy-dna.com/dog-poop-dna-testing/

Wouldn’t hard-core dog poop offenders be tempted to just find another dog’s mouth to swab for the DNA sample — maybe an off-site friend’s dog, for example.

3

Right. That’s one area where implementation might get a little pricier than anticipated. A simple owner-name/owner-submitted swab/sample-on-record scheme won’t be enough; they’ll have to build a stronger owner/pet associative structure than that. Deeper records that include pictures, micro-chip numbers, veterinary records, etc., will be necessary.

4

If you swallow that pill, I don’t feel sorry for you Alice…

It’s pretty sad when a movie as bad as Gattica could actually come true.