June 26, 2017 at 11:03 am
Eric M Russell - Monday, June 26, 2017 10:14 AMIf we can come up with a system that can identify an individual with 99.9% reliability, then that's better than the system we have now. Is Chimerism more common than duplicate assigned SSN codes or identity theft?
Would have to be fast on the order of minutes or seconds [not at all possible with current systems or others on the horizon]
Simple to use
Consistently compatible with global differences in levels of technological culture
Consistently repeatable [current systems snag only a small subset of one's DNA, different samplings on the same person can bring different sequences to the fore... Forensic investigation, which can take days or weeks, involves running multiple samplings, and skilled technicians to pick out the usable samplings, separating the signal from the noise]
Any system would need to be easier, faster, more consistent than established techniques (like fingerprints)
...
-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --
June 26, 2017 at 11:05 am
TomThomson - Monday, June 26, 2017 2:47 AMThat "unique" claim will be false unless it can be proved that the hash function can never give the same result for two people's distinct bits of DNA, and that can't be one unless the number of hash codes is at least the same as the number of possible DNA patterns - so the hash code will have to be something of the order of 16 Megabytes long.
May have to be substanially longer since the hash tries to bucket the values, if there were HashBuckets=DNAPatterns, it's likely we would have collisions. Or just use the DNA value.
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June 26, 2017 at 1:35 pm
To begin with, according to scientists only about 1.2 % of the human genome is for encoding proteins. I'm sure that eventually scientists can identify a much smaller subset of genes, perhaps a few hundred, that are immutable and distinct across all persons. Obviously a DNA hash would require advances in both technology and knowledge of the genome as well as major R&D applied just for this application, however, it is theoretically possible (perhaps inevitable) that we'll eventually get just this: a distinct DNA hash code for every human on the planet.
Maybe some folks feel uncomfortable about the concept that identity is something innate, immutable, and measurable, something that can be reduced to a short sequence of numbers and not subject to the identify preferences of the individual in question.
What is your family name?
Where do you live?
.. your gender?
.. a photo ID, if you please?
.. your cell phone number?
.. your tax id ?
.. and just for kicks, the name of your first pet and favorite movie ?
None of those "facts" add up to an identifier, even when aggregated.
One day all that will all be irrelevant as a means of personal identification, at least for official purposes.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
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