[brown9-2]

How does a person's DNA help in fighting terrorism or any of the other things that the NSA does?

It's not going to tell you who is exchanging information or plans like Facebook messages would.

[CamperBob2]

See, for example, the bogus "vaccination campaign" conducted in Pakistan by CIA operatives in an effort to locate family members of bin Laden and his known associates.

For the government, the ends always justify the means. It's part of the fun of being totally unaccountable.

[frebdel]

It does not reveal intentions, I agree.

So why do they want DNA? Ask the State Department. I'm not a geneticist, but if it was completely useless they would not be collecting it.

My point is that the current infeasibility of collecting everyone's DNA could be the only reason they're not doing it.

Edit: And ask the NSA or FBI if they'd like to have the DNA of every possible terrorist (and, incidentally, yours and mine).