Investigative (or Forensic) Genetic Genealogy is being explored by Police and Forensic scientists in jurisdictions around the world, as a means of identifying a person of interest when other investigation methods have been exhausted. Used for identification in both criminal cases and for human remains, the technique involves uploading DNA data to approved commercial genetic genealogy companies and using the resultant matches to create family trees to narrow down the search for the person of interest. This technique raises issues of privacy, consent, data security and indigenous data sovereignty, as well as other sociocultural and ethical concerns. There is the potential for use of this technique to undermine public trust in Policing and Forensics, and yet there is also a public expectation that Police and Forensics will use all available tools to do their jobs. This panel presentation will report on studies in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia that explore these issues, and comment on the implications in the context of Aotearoa, Australia and Texas in the US.
This hour-long panel is convened by ESR Forensics, with Suzanne Manning and SallyAnn Harbison presenting their research on the sociocultural and ethical issues in the Aoteaora context, particularly with respect to the issue of Māori data sovereignty. Nathan Scudder from Australian Federal Police Forensics will introduce the work being done on developing a privacy compliant framework, and Alexandra Quinton from University of Canberra will present her study on public support for police use of genetic genealogy, relating this to principles of retributive justice and levels of trust in the justice system. Michael Coble, Associate Professor at the University of Texas, will comment on these studies in the context of the US and particularly the state of Texas. The panel will then open for questions from the audience.