The FBI has collected the genetic information of 21 million Americans.
An American media reported that the US Federal Intelligence Service collected the genetic information of 21 million Americans.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has collected DNA profiles of 21.7 million Americans.
Based on the data reviewed by the Intercept database, this figure is equal to 7% of the American population.
The Intercept wrote that a review of the FBI’s budget request for fiscal year 2024 shows that the agency has requested nearly double the budget to maintain its DNA list.
The FBI requested an additional $53.1 million to the agency’s current $56.7 million budget to carry out this action, explaining that: “The requested allocation of resources will allow the FBI to collect an increased number of DNA samples. to be investigated by the US Department of Homeland Security.”
In an April 23 statement submitted to Congress to explain the budget request, FBI Director Christopher Wray outlined several reasons he says to justify the agency’s need for DNA classification.
He said the FBI collects about 90,000 samples a month. He predicted that this figure would increase to 120,000 samples per month and reach about 1.5 million samples per year.
The Intercept writes that one of the reasons for the increase in the FBI’s genetic samples is due to the policies of the Trump administration, which authorized the collection of DNA samples from detained immigrants.
The FBI started building a DNA database in 1990. By 1998, the FBI had established a national database called the Combined DNA Index System. At first, data collection was only related to people who had committed crimes.
“If you look at when the hybrid system was created, it was originally created for sex offenders or violent offenders,” said Anna Louise, a Harvard researcher who specializes in the ethical implications of genetic research.