A recent trend in investigatory work has been the use of DNA tracing/matching through private-sector genealogy websites/companies. Investigatory entities send a DNA sample that previously was not able to be matched through federal and state databases (generally restricted to those that have been convicted of felony offenses since early 2000's) with the hope that they'll get an exact match or a match with a family member/relative. As your text denotes and as we discussed earlier in the term, if collected, handled, & processed correctly, DNA can be a very reliable piece of evidence for suspect identification and prosecution purposes however obtaining DNA evidence through third-parties has come under some justifiable scrutiny. For this discussion, I would like you to read the following online articles and then respond to the questions posed below. The case that started it all: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/10/genetic-genealogy-dna-database-criminal-investigations/599005/ The privacy aspect/debate: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/02/20/dna-databases-are-boon-to-police-but-menace-to-privacy-critics-say General overview of the issue: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/judicial/publications/judges_journal/2020/spring/if-you-think-your-dna-anonymous-think-again/ Recent examples of how this technology is being used: https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/marion-county/john-doe-identified-in-marion-county-cold-case-sheriff-asking-for-tips/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/killer-of-michigan-woman-missing-for-33-years-identified-using-genealogy-technology/ar-AA11z0dI?li=BBnb7Kz

Now that you have a better understanding of this relatively new manner by which investigators are matching DNA samples to suspects, I would like to hear your thoughts on the practice. Should investigators be permitted to use private genealogy websites/entities for this purpose - why or why not? What are the privacy concerns involved in this aspect - should investigatory entities on the federal, state, or local levels have access to private DNA databases for the purpose of criminal investigations? What restrictions should be in place, if any, for this practice? Basically, I'm simply looking for your opinion and view on the matter but I would also like to know whether we, as a group, could come up with some general parameters for how investigators can access these databases while ensuring privacy rights are not violated. Here are some supporting articles that provide some additional context to the issue and you can also find more through an Internet search if desired: https://www.10tv.com/article/news/dna-every-baby-born-california-stored-who-has-access-it/530-3850d3fc-debd-4180-bce2-0aa52ac3b6cd https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/parabon-genetic-genealogy-cold-cases#.bfDppxOrv https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/gedmatch-police-genealogy-database/561695/