Gaughran vs the UK and public acceptability of forensic biometrics retention

Abstract

This commentary provides a response to the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the case of Gaughran vs the United Kingdom on 13 February 2020. The Court ruled that the indefinite retention of DNA, fingerprints and facial images from all convicted adults was disproportionate. Using data from a survey on public attitudes, we examine the public acceptability of the police retention of forensic biometrics from the population.

Keywords: Forensic biometrics; Forensic databases; Privacy; Public attitudes; Public security; Retention.