I normally don't put my two cents worth (opinion) into topics on this site, but this is an exception. I was totally shocked when I read the article at the end of this email. Instead of writing a whole thesis, I will just write a few phrases. Citizens are required to have their DNA on file -- WHY?? Is it to make sure there is a pure Sweden -- reminds me of another time in history -- very scarry!!! Personal informaiton made available to anyone -- scarry!!! A crime to show the origin of an ancestor without first contacting a living relative -- sounds like someone in authority or with lots of money is afraid their own ethnicity will be found out. Is there anything the citizens of Sweden can do about this law and other rights that are being taken away from them? Regards, Mary -------------- Original message-------------- > In a message dated 11/4/2005 4:24:59 PM Mountain Standard Time, > willowa@nor.com.au writes: > Is there more information on this? > > > I am afraid that various versions of privacy laws are going to make > genealogical ressearch more and more difficult in the future. > > This is one example where an impossible standard is set IMO and it IS hard to > belive this could be true. > I cannot imagine why anyone feels it is necessary. > > For the descendants of German-Bohemias who settled in Sweden in an effort to > escape Hitler, this means that there can be no more on line family trees if it > is taken seriously.. > > How they plan to monitor that or prosecute non-Swedes who violate that law is > beyond me. > > > :Look at Sweden's news in English at: > > > http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=2423&date=20051104 > Editorial: No privacy, no integrity > Swedish genealogists have taken a beating this week, after they were told > that disclosing the ethnic origins of their ancestors was against the law - > unless they had got the OK from all living descendants of that ancestor. > > Yet information about the salaries of every Swedish resident, their personal > numbers, addresses and details of their relatives are open for public > inspection. What is going on with Swedish privacy laws? > > The august organ to issue the diktat against people researching their family > trees was the Swedish Board of Data Protection, which is supposed to protect > people’s privacy. > > Given that the rule requires people to get permission from all descendants of > ancestors from as long ago as the eighteenth century, it is fairly certain > that this means contacting more distant cousins than are on even a > genealogist’s > Christmas card list. > > Naturally, it’s important that personal integrity is taken seriously, > although how the ethnicity of someone alive 200 years ago can have any bearing > on > someone alive today is hard to fathom. > > Indeed, this over-zealous protection of one sort of privacy is in stark > contrast to what, to a foreigner anyway, is a frightening lack of privacy in > day-to-day life in Sweden. > > Go and hire a movie, and you’ll see what I mean. The assistant will ask for > your national ID card, will then scan it over a barcode reader, and will then > know where you live, have a record of your personal number and would, if they > wanted, be able to go to the tax office and find out how much you earned last > year. > > But that's Sweden - where robbers can do their research over the phone with > the help of the authorities before picking their prey. > > In addition, the DNA of every child born in Sweden is held in a massive > national DNA bank. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good idea, and the DNA bank > is > subject to stringent regulation. But surely there's a serious imbalance when the > state is allowed to log people’s genetic makeup while the people themselves > are not even allowed to discuss their own genes online. > > Another example of the confusion in this whole privacy business is security > cameras. > > The police are slammed for not clearing up enough crimes and the tabloids > spread fear of rape, murder and drug dealing - yet any suggestion that companies > or local authorities should be allowed to use security cameras is usually met > with a chorus of disapproval. > > "It's a breach of personal integrity!" cry the critics, inexplicably > forgetting the important roles security cameras play both in crime prevention > and > crime solving. > > This random application of privacy laws, where ethnicity is private and > personal finances are not, where privacy concerns outweigh personal safety, > undermines the whole point of such regulations: preventing personal information > from > being used to harm the innocent individual. > > Surely it’s time to put a bit of integrity back into the personal integrity > laws? > > Discuss this topic! > James Savage > > Karem > > > ==== GERMAN-BOHEMIAN Mailing List ==== > Visit the German-Bohemian Heritage Society Web Page! > http://www.rootsweb.com/~gbhs/ >