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Information Privacy in Gattaca
Information Privacy in Gattaca
Information privacy, or lack thereof, is highly relevant in Gattaca. There is virtually zero privacy when it comes to someone's genetics. Vincent goes through extentive planning and cleaning daily to ensure he does not leave traces of himself behind and risk his secret being exposed. Anyone can perform a DNA test on anybody else, even without their knowledge, and thereby gain access to their entire genetic profile, which is the most important personal information in the Gattaca universe. Below are some instances where information privacy comes into play throughout the movie.
Vincent cleanses himslef for testing protection (00:12:00)
Every day, Vincent thoroughly scrubs himself with a metal brush to remove dead skin cells, stray hair, and any biologic material from his body to reduce the trail of genetic matter he leaves behind. The decreases the likelihood Vincent's "invalid" DNA is discovered and tested. It is a small but effective action and is one way Vincent tries to preserve his genetic privacy.
Vincent's DNA tested without his knowledge (00:55:00)
Vincent's love interests, Irene, is curious to learn more about Vincent, so she steals a stray piece of Vincent's hair from his workspace and has it tested. Luckily, Vincent was prepared for this and planted Jerome's hair to found instead. Nonetheless, this event shows the lack of privacy concerning genetic information.
DNA use at Gattaca
Gattaca routinely uses the DNA and genetic informaiton of their employees with little regard for privacy. Whether it be a murder investigatoin, job interview, daily check-in, or a random unsolicitied test, employees are always subject to testing at any time, showing how little control they have over of te privacy of their genes
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