What is the meaning of “panopticon” in this sentence?












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I read an article in The Hindu 21st December which was titled as: "Towards a genetic panopticon":




What’s more ominous is that the Bill potentially allows DNA evidence to be used for any other purpose that may be specified through subsequent regulations, thereby according to the state a potential power to create a “genetic panopticon,” to borrow the words of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. That this is a distinct possibility is clear from the range of privacy protections that are absent in the Bill. As Helen Wallace, Director, GeneWatch UK, wrote in these pages, the draft law does not restrict DNA profiling to the use of non-coding DNA, which would ensure that the evidence can only be used for the purposes of identification and not for determining personal characteristics, including medical conditions.



As a result, the state will effectively have at its disposal the ability to profile every one of its citizens.




Oxford Dictionary describes the word panopticon as;




A circular prison with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed.




But genetic panopticon seems to be implying something else. So what could be definition of panopticon in that context?










share|improve this question




















  • 4




    There are other definitions of panopticon in that dictionary. Read the others and see which one applies, not just to the title, but to the article the title describes.
    – Dan Bron
    Dec 22 at 13:44






  • 2




    The panopticon prison was named after Panoptes, a mythological Greek giant with many eyes who never slept (and thus was a very good watchman). The genetic panopticon takes its name not from the prison aspect of the panopticon, but from the observational part of it — the idea is that they will be able to monitor everybody (genetically).
    – Peter Shor
    2 days ago












  • You might also try this Q on Bioinformatics.
    – Phil Sweet
    2 days ago
















0














I read an article in The Hindu 21st December which was titled as: "Towards a genetic panopticon":




What’s more ominous is that the Bill potentially allows DNA evidence to be used for any other purpose that may be specified through subsequent regulations, thereby according to the state a potential power to create a “genetic panopticon,” to borrow the words of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. That this is a distinct possibility is clear from the range of privacy protections that are absent in the Bill. As Helen Wallace, Director, GeneWatch UK, wrote in these pages, the draft law does not restrict DNA profiling to the use of non-coding DNA, which would ensure that the evidence can only be used for the purposes of identification and not for determining personal characteristics, including medical conditions.



As a result, the state will effectively have at its disposal the ability to profile every one of its citizens.




Oxford Dictionary describes the word panopticon as;




A circular prison with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed.




But genetic panopticon seems to be implying something else. So what could be definition of panopticon in that context?










share|improve this question




















  • 4




    There are other definitions of panopticon in that dictionary. Read the others and see which one applies, not just to the title, but to the article the title describes.
    – Dan Bron
    Dec 22 at 13:44






  • 2




    The panopticon prison was named after Panoptes, a mythological Greek giant with many eyes who never slept (and thus was a very good watchman). The genetic panopticon takes its name not from the prison aspect of the panopticon, but from the observational part of it — the idea is that they will be able to monitor everybody (genetically).
    – Peter Shor
    2 days ago












  • You might also try this Q on Bioinformatics.
    – Phil Sweet
    2 days ago














0












0








0


0





I read an article in The Hindu 21st December which was titled as: "Towards a genetic panopticon":




What’s more ominous is that the Bill potentially allows DNA evidence to be used for any other purpose that may be specified through subsequent regulations, thereby according to the state a potential power to create a “genetic panopticon,” to borrow the words of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. That this is a distinct possibility is clear from the range of privacy protections that are absent in the Bill. As Helen Wallace, Director, GeneWatch UK, wrote in these pages, the draft law does not restrict DNA profiling to the use of non-coding DNA, which would ensure that the evidence can only be used for the purposes of identification and not for determining personal characteristics, including medical conditions.



As a result, the state will effectively have at its disposal the ability to profile every one of its citizens.




Oxford Dictionary describes the word panopticon as;




A circular prison with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed.




But genetic panopticon seems to be implying something else. So what could be definition of panopticon in that context?










share|improve this question















I read an article in The Hindu 21st December which was titled as: "Towards a genetic panopticon":




What’s more ominous is that the Bill potentially allows DNA evidence to be used for any other purpose that may be specified through subsequent regulations, thereby according to the state a potential power to create a “genetic panopticon,” to borrow the words of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. That this is a distinct possibility is clear from the range of privacy protections that are absent in the Bill. As Helen Wallace, Director, GeneWatch UK, wrote in these pages, the draft law does not restrict DNA profiling to the use of non-coding DNA, which would ensure that the evidence can only be used for the purposes of identification and not for determining personal characteristics, including medical conditions.



As a result, the state will effectively have at its disposal the ability to profile every one of its citizens.




Oxford Dictionary describes the word panopticon as;




A circular prison with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed.




But genetic panopticon seems to be implying something else. So what could be definition of panopticon in that context?







meaning






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 2 days ago









Andrew Leach

79.4k8150256




79.4k8150256










asked Dec 22 at 13:20







user326653















  • 4




    There are other definitions of panopticon in that dictionary. Read the others and see which one applies, not just to the title, but to the article the title describes.
    – Dan Bron
    Dec 22 at 13:44






  • 2




    The panopticon prison was named after Panoptes, a mythological Greek giant with many eyes who never slept (and thus was a very good watchman). The genetic panopticon takes its name not from the prison aspect of the panopticon, but from the observational part of it — the idea is that they will be able to monitor everybody (genetically).
    – Peter Shor
    2 days ago












  • You might also try this Q on Bioinformatics.
    – Phil Sweet
    2 days ago














  • 4




    There are other definitions of panopticon in that dictionary. Read the others and see which one applies, not just to the title, but to the article the title describes.
    – Dan Bron
    Dec 22 at 13:44






  • 2




    The panopticon prison was named after Panoptes, a mythological Greek giant with many eyes who never slept (and thus was a very good watchman). The genetic panopticon takes its name not from the prison aspect of the panopticon, but from the observational part of it — the idea is that they will be able to monitor everybody (genetically).
    – Peter Shor
    2 days ago












  • You might also try this Q on Bioinformatics.
    – Phil Sweet
    2 days ago








4




4




There are other definitions of panopticon in that dictionary. Read the others and see which one applies, not just to the title, but to the article the title describes.
– Dan Bron
Dec 22 at 13:44




There are other definitions of panopticon in that dictionary. Read the others and see which one applies, not just to the title, but to the article the title describes.
– Dan Bron
Dec 22 at 13:44




2




2




The panopticon prison was named after Panoptes, a mythological Greek giant with many eyes who never slept (and thus was a very good watchman). The genetic panopticon takes its name not from the prison aspect of the panopticon, but from the observational part of it — the idea is that they will be able to monitor everybody (genetically).
– Peter Shor
2 days ago






The panopticon prison was named after Panoptes, a mythological Greek giant with many eyes who never slept (and thus was a very good watchman). The genetic panopticon takes its name not from the prison aspect of the panopticon, but from the observational part of it — the idea is that they will be able to monitor everybody (genetically).
– Peter Shor
2 days ago














You might also try this Q on Bioinformatics.
– Phil Sweet
2 days ago




You might also try this Q on Bioinformatics.
– Phil Sweet
2 days ago















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