In April 2018, serial killer Joseph DeAngelo, also known as the Golden State Killer, was spectacularly tracked down. After 13 years of groping in the dark, uploading his DNA profile to a commercial genetic genealogical DNA database helped to identify him within a few months. The use of such commercial DNA databases elicited both hope and dismay. In this contribution the authors address concerns about the use of this technology in the Dutch jurisdiction by situating it in the more than 25 years of careful legislation and forensic practice. They show that much care and attention has been given to the legal and societal aspects of forensic genetic technology and argue that the use of commercial DNA databases warrants a careful and thorough debate before it can be introduced in any sound way.

This special issue of Justitiële verkenningen (Judicial Explorations) discusses three developments that have driven the use of DNA to grow: technological advances in DNA data sequencing, the booming market for commercial DNA testing, and the internationalization of the collection and sharing of DNA data. More and more DNA data is being distributed without any insight into what exactly happens to this data. While strict rules apply to the management and use of DNA data by the police and judicial authorities, this is not yet the case for data from commercial DNA tests. In this episode of Justitiële verkenningen, particular attention is paid to the rise of investigative genetic genealogy (IGG). This phenomenon means that the police and the judicial authorities use data from commercial DNA databases to track down suspects. The successes achieved in this way in deadlocked murder cases, including in the United States, are also discussed. It is clear that not everyone who sends DNA material to a DTC company foresees such an application, and this use is therefore controversial. Moreover, relatives of these customers are not systematically informed and they are usually not asked for permission. This special issue aims to contribute to the public debate on the consequences and risks of the dissemination of DNA data.

This article aims to contribute to the public debate on the consequences and risks of the spreading of DNA data related to direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing. Market developments drive DTC companies to find new business models. As a result of mergers and acquisitions and of the developments of new products and services, DNA data are often used differently than what they were originally collected for. Since DTC DNA data are not protected as well as health-related data generally are, it is hard to keep track of these data. This is partly due to legal and ethical issues such as unclarity of who owns DNA and problems with informed consent. Risks are identified with regards to privacy, information security, the right not to know, (un)equal opportunities, and national security. The author calls for an investment in knowledge and awareness in order to allow for a fair balance between opportunity and risk of DTC DNA products and services.

Op 9 oktober 2020 heeft de Hoge Raad een arrest gewezen over het moment waarop de verjaringstermijn van de beroepsaansprakelijkheidsvordering van de (voormalig) cliënt op zijn adviseur een aanvang neemt. In dit artikel wordt het arrest bekeken in de context van eerdere rechtspraak over dit onderwerp en wordt onderzocht hoe de door de Hoge Raad gegeven norm in de praktijk kan uitwerken.

In this article the ways in which philosophers have thought about greed are discussed. From antiquity until the Renaissance greed was considered to be a sin. This immoderate desire had to be stopped because it constitutes a threat to the wellbeing of both an individual and society as a whole. This changed since the beginning of the modern era, when a more positive attitude towards this excessive desire arose. The new opinion was: private vices lead to public benefits, and thus the normalization of an excess came about. Greed no longer was considered to be a sin or vice, but instead to be a harmless passion that had a good effect on the welfare of society. The financial crisis of 2008 may have induced some doubts concerning the idea that greed is good, but a real change in opinion has not yet occurred.