Big Brother Dubai

The government here is planning on compiling a DNA database for all residents, expats and locals alike. They plan on taking saliva samples from people "when they apply for their unified national identification cards". National ID Cards? Satellite tracked cars? Saliva samples? Despite all the fanfare behind this soon-to-be approved database, there is no mention of who will, and who wont be allowed access to it. Will my saliva sample be erased from the database when I permanently leave the country? Can I see all information held about me? Will there be safeguards put into place to ensure the information isn't misused? Why isn't anyone asking such important questions?

This reminds me of an advert I heard on the radio for a service called Al Ameen. A female voice in the ad was complaining of how an unknown guy kept calling her phone and was harrassing her. She then called Al Ameen, and they 'dealt with it'. While the objective of the ad was to portray Al Ameen in a good light, it seemed so horribly sinister and spooky at the same time.

Back in the UK, David Blunkett tried to introduce a host of measures that would curb civil liberties, and privacy groups were in uproar. On the other hand, in Dubai, mandatory ID cards, DNA databases and other equally invasive things get approved without so much as a squeak from the local population. I have a feeling Blunkett would love it here. Seems like Dubai is speeding its way into a police state. 1984 here we come, but sadly, no one really seems to care.