Protection of Freedoms Act comes into force and lays out new laws on DNA retention and surveillance cameras (Out Law)
The new law touches upon CCTV, surveillance, fingerprints, DNA, schools, law enforcement, national security and sets guidelines for the proper handling of biometric information for different combinations of the above.
A new technology is never either entirely good or entirely bad, though by helping people to accomplish more with less effort, successful technologies will, by making the people who adopt them more productive, do more good than harm.
The UK's new law seems to strike a balance that attempts to allow people to capture the productivity gains offered by biometric technologies while mitigating the potential for the abridgment of individual rights either through abuse or unforeseen circumstances. This is as it should be.
The passage of the Protection of Freedoms Act is an important "Biometrics in Society" event and the Out Law article linked above does an excellent job of conveying its breadth.
