Notes (Nov 3)

Today in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/world/europe/louvre-heist-dna-databases.html

Private consumer genetics companies are banned in France, in good part because the practice of tracing one’s ancestry is sensitive, Ms. Vailly said, given the country’s history. The Jewish ancestry of many French citizens was used to send them to death camps during World War II.

Last month, France’s justice minister, Gérald Darmanin, said he planned to introduce legislation to allow investigators of serious crimes that have remained unsolved for more than 18 months to access data from private foreign companies, mainly American ones, specializing in genealogical testing.

In an era of increasing illiberalism and political persecution, avoiding centralized government databases is an important step to take.