Computing MSc student publishes at ethics conference
Friday 27 June 2008
Anna Vartapetiance Salmasi, an MSc in Information Systems student, has co-authored a paper that was recently accepted for the Tenth ETHICOMP International Conference on the Social and Ethical Impacts of Information and Communication Technology (ETHICOMP 2008).
The paper, titled "A Database for Fighting Crimes that Haven’t Been Committed Yet" discusses the ethical dilemma for Computing Professionals of the highly controversial National DNA Database. It is due to be presented at the conference in Mantua, Italy in September.
Lee Gillam & Anna Vartapetiance Salmasi
Abstract: “The UK boasts significant, and expanding, infrastructure supporting crime fighting, including 4 million CCTV cameras, a forthcoming Identity Card, and the largest DNA database of any nation state: DNA records for over 5% of the population, 50% larger than the combination of data in all remaining EU member states. Legislative changes make it rare for data to be removed from this database, and DNA samples can be taken from subjects without their permission. This paper discusses the DNA database and controversies surrounding it with reference to legal and ethical issues and whether it is right to develop such a database.”
The programme committee for the conference includes, amongst others, the current manager of the British Computer Society (BCS) Ethics Forum.