CIA's Venture Capital Arm Is Funding Skin Care Products That Collect DNA (theintercept.com) 62
sittingnut writes: The Intercept reports that Skincential Sciences, whose main product line is Clearista, has attracted media coverage because its "innovative line of cosmetic products marketed as a way to erase blemishes and soften skin" are funded by In-Q-Tel, a venture capital arm of the CIA. According to Russ Lebovitz, the chief executive of Skincential Sciences, the CIA fund told him they share an interest in looking at DNA extraction from "normal skin" using the method pioneered by his company. Lebovitz said he was unsure of the intent of the CIA's use of the technology, but the fund was "specifically interested in the diagnostics, detecting DNA from normal skin." He added, "There's no better identifier than DNA, and we know we can pull out DNA." Perhaps law enforcement could use the biomarker extraction technique for crime scene identification or could conduct drug tests, Lebovitz suggested.
Uh... (Score:5, Informative)
The CIA isn't "law enforcement". Spy agencies are pretty much the opposite of that.
And they've been doing surreptitious DNA analysis for a while now. [npr.org]
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The CIA isn't "law enforcement".
Then they should stop acting like they are, NSA too for that matter. Sorry to burst your bubble but the entire intelligence apparatus feeds law enforcement now, Constitution be damned.
Re: Uh... (Score:1)
The entire intelligence apparatus is unconstitutional. Literally there is nothing in the constitution granting the government that power. We as a people have tolerated it as a necessity of running a country. In turn we expect good behavior in return for our generosity.
They have abused that trust. For decades. It is time to end these agencies and put new ones in their place. Ones more tightly controlled and accountable. Ones staffed by people who know their jobs don't involve spying on or trying to co
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Intelligence is a military function always has been.
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"Intelligence is a military function always has been."
And when a government routinely spies on its citizens?
Doesn't that mean that the government thinks it is at war, and that it thinks of us as the enemy?
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MI is not supposed to operate on US soil against it's citizens etc thats a police matter not a national intelligence matter.
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In post-Constitutional America, what is supposed to happen and what actually happens are quite a bit different.
Likewise, what is supposed to not happen and what actually doesn't happen are quite different, too.
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At the end of the day you do need to know what other sovereign nations are doing.
Fixing the overreach etc etc etc pretty much needs amendments to do so. You have to turn violations into must prosecute by a special prosecutor that can not be pardoned. Not realy any different than local police, the DA is far too close to them to oversee them. You have to clearly say no to parallel construction and pretty much anything other than operation secrecy for police.
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Yeah, and according to the Constitution the entire Army is only supposed to be called up on an ad-hoc basis and disbanded after two years! So what's your point?
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The Constitution is the sole source of all of the federal government's powers, so if an agency (or its role) is not provided for in the Constitution, it's unconstitutional.
They're allowed to be established by Congress so long as they don't actually violate the Constitution.
Exceeding the powers that the Constitution grants to the federal government is unconstitutional... full stop. Or are you one of those people who think that anything the government does is allowed unless it infringes on the Bill of Rights?
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> Or are you one of those people who think that anything the government does is allowed unless it infringes on the Bill of Rights?
There are many, many people who have somehow managed to completely forget that amendment. It's unfortunate, too... All powers not granted by the Constitution where to be reserved for the people or for the individual States. Unfortunately, any time someone mentions "State's Rights" they get branded a racist (which is funny, 'cause I'm not white) and every other time they say s
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T
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True though I was stating that they have the power, ceded in the constitution, to create a military. What's debatable is should it be a standing army or not. I do not believe that's actually enumerated.
As for the welfare thing? That's been trampled on as bad as the bullshit about regulating trade between the States. What one was it, the 9th? Was that the one that stated all powers not granted were reserved for the State or the Individual? I seem to think so. (My memory is fuzzy and it's been a LONG day - tw
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It actually is enumerated, the federal government is explicitly allowed the Navy and explicitly not allowed to gather a standing army for more than 2 years in time of peace.
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No need to counter it. There have been intelligence "services" since the founding of this country. The Constitution doesn't specify what services can exist and what can not.
Sure it does. The bulk of the Constitution (the Articles) specify exactly that.
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Well, one difference I can think of is that the people who ran the CIA when they were doing that trained the people who run the CIA now. I have heard from people who would know that these organizations develop cultures of their own which are very resistant to change.
Really? Do you get paid to shill? (Score:5, Informative)
All you need to do is read the top of the linked article to see how shitty our Government and people have been behaving. Not only does the CIA have front companies for harvesting DNA without the person's knowledge, but the first thing they say is A White House official says the CIA will no longer use vaccine programs as cover for spy operations. Good grief, the only reason they announced it is BECAUSE THEY KEEP GETTING CAUGHT! It also does not mean that they will actually stop using vaccine programs as cover, just that they claim it will.
You attempt to paint MK-Ultra as theory, when the papers were finally released. The CIA did drug people without their knowledge using LSD. They were caught smuggling drugs into the US and swapping those drugs for guns to send to South America. Not fantasy, not theory, facts.
Blah blah but the cowbows and indians blah, you need police with super powers blah. Shut the fuck up. If you are a paid shill you need to give your master back your money, you sure as hell don't know enough to earn it. If you are not a paid shill, seek medical help.
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Perhaps they want to create a disabling strain of acne to take out script kiddies everywhere, once and for all.
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http://www.theguardian.com/wor... [theguardian.com] (Tuesday 12 July 2011)
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Yes I remember that imho thats killed a lot of people by hampering actual vaccination campaigns.
Not to mention the doctors that have been killed under suspicion since then.
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There's no better identifier than DNA
uh, for what? identifying markers for genetic diseases, phrenological alternative, neat T-Shirt designs? because if you're talking about identifying criminals its still nowhere near an exact science and depends very greatly on the disposition of prosecution and the care taken during collection as well as a wealth of other environmental factors.
True... a good photo/video (or even credible eye witness) is still a much better identifier than DNA, especially in the minds of most juries.
and we know we can pull out DNA.
dial it back there Kafka. your job is intelligence, not the blanket collection all mankinds genetic marker for some clandestine plot point to a steven king movie. Why do you need this DNA, how are you going to use it, are you even going about this legally?
No, his job is a research biochemist working on extraction of DNA/biological markers from skin as pure research. You are quoting the CEO of the company, not the CIA investors.
What will they expoit next? (Score:2)
Hey, maybe The Company is teaming up with a variety of consumer goods makers to integrate micro-miniature, networked DNA collectors in toothbrushes, mattresses, hairbrushes, shoes, nail clippers, steering wheel manufacturers...
Paranoid much? (Score:2)
CIA used DNA to help find Osama (Score:3)
They had a duel use vaccination project in pakistan where they gathered blood samples for DNA analysis. The DNA was scanned for similarities to Osama bin Ladin. The notion was that if they found a cluster of people with genetic similarities they would find him... blood relations etc.
The value to the CIA would be identifying people and associations of blood. It will also reveal unusual genetics in the population... people that might appear outwardly similar might contain genetic markers from a different population and that could give a hint as to someone to watch.
That is the idea in any case.
This is military intelligence work... not a legal investigation. The point is to find something that can give you a hint as to what is going on. Not to convict beyond a shadow of a doubt.
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It's a good thing bin Laden wasn't from Kentucky, where there are 4.4 million people, and 4.2 million are related by blood.
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Inbreeding is vastly more common in many other places in the world actually. I also think you mean west Virginia... that's where the banjos are more likely to play. Or possibly in the bayou portions of the Louisianan. That's especially common amongst the remaining french population out there. Its done in part to preserve their culture. Rather impressive to have maintained their old french heritage through all these years.
Of course, unlike the British that largely have good respectful relations with the ango
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the genetics of the terrorists are often distinct from the general population.
?? There's a "terrorism" gene? I did not know that! Maybe you misspelled "tourist", seeing as their DNA might differ a bit from the locals. But it's still probably still easier to just lift the print off the martini glass.
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Don't be obtuse... I said no such thing. I was referring to people that are not native to the area engaging in terrorism. This was something we saw with some consistency in Afghanistan where we often had fighters operating from totally different countries in Afghanistan. People from Pakistan, Iran, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, etc. Simply being able to identify population groups rapidly can help you get a good idea of where to look if you suspect that the trouble is being imported or otherwise coming from outsi
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People from Pakistan, Iran, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, etc.
Yeah, you left out Americans...
eyes peeled, ears cocked, and nostrils flaring...
What the hell are you babbling about?
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If you want to be obtuse then that's your prerogative...
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And if you want to babble nonsense, that's yours...
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It protected against swords and pistols?
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Banjos. Didn't you read the rest of the sub-thread?
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For the record, the burden of proof in your country is "beyonda reasonable doubt." It is not beyond a shadow of a doubt. Except in civil cases. In your country, the State must convince the judge or jury that the defendant "more likely than not" committed the alleged offense.
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I was very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very clear that this was not something you would use in a court case but rather something you'd use for military intelligence in a war zone or intelligence operation.
So... how much more very clear do I have to be about that to avoid you saying "for the record" after I was so VERY clear?
Give me a brea
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That was in addition to and not contrary to. It was to clarify and not to argue. I was very very very very very blah blah blah clear about that. At least I figured the "for the record" would be indicative of such. Obviously not, however.
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Hearts and minds was a failure. Adapt.
This is better ... (Score:3)
Spies Are Silly (Score:2)
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Wait. What?
Are you advocating we incarcerate nobody? Are you saying there's a point where we have to just give up because it's too expensive and that anyone convicted after a certain financial criteria has been met just remains free?
Let me just be the first one to say that's a dumb idea.
Now, we (Americans) have way too many people incarcerated. True. However, we can't opt to not incarcerate large groups of people just to lower the budget. That's... Umm... Well, that's not justice. That's not even remotely j
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Have you ever considered why we have so many more prisoners per capita than any other country in the western world? It's not because our population is more evil than everywhere else's. No, there are two possibilities: either (a) other countries are failing to incarcerate a lot of people who deserve it, or (b) we are incarcerating a whole bunch of people who don't deserve it. Given that other countries don't seem to be overrun with criminals and lawlessness, I'm inclined to believe it's the latter.
Total bullshit (Score:4, Insightful)
this is just some companies propoganda. It's duck soup to recover DNA from any skins sluffing. You don't need any special product. Total astroturf to hitch their wagon to the CIA and sucker slashdot to put it on the front page.
pry from my cold dead hands? (Score:1)
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LOL You really think they don't already have it? Did they collect a blood sample when you were born? Any other time? Never? (Blood's not actually the greatest way to get DNA, so I'm told - but it works or so I'm told. I'm not a DNA-octologist or nuffin.)
At any rate... Do you live in a first world nation? Yeah? I'm betting they either have it or can have it pretty easily - with or without your consent or even knowledge. I enlisted. They took blood. I'm betting they kept it. I'd not be remotely surprised to f
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In order...
Lots of reasons - a Google away, probably.
Your government. They always have.
Business owners make good spies as well as having "off-the-books" income is a good thing for people who want to keep a part of their budget a secret. I kind of doubt the veracity of this story, by the way. However, the idea of a CIA front is nothing new. Some of them are even profitable. Businesses make good fronts. People come and go, they get invited to certain parties, and things like that. Hell... The CIA had its own