Identify possible ethical considerations of CRISPR gene editing and explain position
Hailey Caram
Digitizing DNA offers important benefits, such as medical research or satiety to curiosity, these digital advancements also come with risks. For example, the lines of privacy and security are not exactly clear, and there are no firm boundaries about what is acceptable, such as genetic testing for employment. Additionally, data breaches are a very real concern and can lead to stolen DNA (Rizkallah, 2018). As biological data becomes increasingly digital, the fear of malicious use of DNA or other genetic information is a bigger risk. Researchers assure that the likelihood of an intrusion via DNA is low, but the technology is improving and hacks are becoming more likely (Coldeway, 2024). While I recognize the possible benefits of digitizing DNA, the risks are too high and severe to outweigh the benefits. Hacks would likely be catastrophic and irreversible. Additionally, in the case of genetic testing, digitizing DNA removes the expertise provided by physicians, which have been relied on for decades (Eissenberg, 2017). To counter these risks, experts in biocybersecurity should educate the public and provide information about how to prevent these attacks (Liu et al., 2024). In addition, further research should be conducted into risk mitigation and security measures against these types of attacks.
References
Coldewey, D. (2024, May 4). Malicious code written into DNA infects the computer that reads it. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/09/malicious-code-written-into-dna-infects-the-computer-that-reads-it/
Eissenberg J. C. (2017). Direct-to-Consumer Genomics: Harmful or Empowering?: It is important to stress that genetic risk is not the same as genetic destiny. Missouri medicine, 114(1), 26–32.
Liu, T., Zhou, S., Wang, T., & Teng, Y. (2024). Cyberbiosecurity: Advancements in DNA-based information security. Biosafety and Health, 6(4), 251–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bsheal.2024.06.002Links to an external site.
Rizkallah, J. (2018, November 29). Council Post: Hacking Humans: Protecting our DNA from cybercriminals. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2018/11/29/hacking-humans-protecting-our-dna-from-cybercriminals/