UK DNA database to be trimmed after EC ruling

DNA database to keep innocent people's DNA for up to 12 years
DNA database to keep innocent people's DNA for up to 12 years

The DNA of innocent people is to be deleted from the UK DNA database, after a court ruling by the European Court of Human Rights deemed the archive of information to be illegal earlier this year.

The database had been contravening Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights – 'the right to respect for private and family life' – so a change was always on the cards.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.