Ethical, Legal, and Social Frontiers of Forensic Genetics and Genomics: Ancestry, Population Genetics, and the Governance of DNA Evidence

Forensic Genetics and genomics are a field encompassing short tandem repeat (STR) profiling, Y-chromosomal analysis, microhaplotypes, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panels, and next-generation sequencing (NGS). The field has redefined the scientific boundaries of human identification, kinship determination, and ancestry inference. These methodologies are now ubiquitous in criminal investigations, disaster victim identification, civil litigation, and migration assessment, increasingly shaping judicial decision-making and evidentiary standards. However, despite rapid scientific progress, the legal, ethical, and social frameworks required to safeguard the responsible use of genomic data remain underdeveloped. Growing global reliance on forensic DNA databases and genomic reference panels has magnified concerns regarding privacy, informed consent, genetic data ownership, and potential misuse in law enforcement or surveillance. Most significantly, gaps in population representation, especially in South Asian, sub-Saharan African, and Indigenous communities, pose risks of bias and reduced accuracy in interpreting genetic evidence, raising profound questions about fairness and justice.

This Research Topic aims to systematically explore the ethical, legal, and social implications of forensic genomics and population genetics, particularly as they relate to ancestry inference, database governance, and the use of genetic information in judicial contexts. It seeks to bridge the expertise of forensic scientists, legal scholars, and ethicists to address critical issues such as the admissibility and communication of DNA evidence; the ethical management of biogeographical ancestry and externally visible trait prediction; and challenges stemming from algorithmic bias in AI-based forensic interpretation tools; including questions of evidentiary reliability, standards of proof, expert testimony, and due process protections.

This Research Topic will highlight the co-evolution of forensic science and legal-ethical governance, emphasizing culturally sensitive and context-specific solutions for equitable application of genomic technology.

To gather further insights into the intersection of science, ethics, and law in forensic genomics, we welcome contributions including empirical bioethics, comparative legal analysis, social science research, policy evaluation, and conceptual or normative work. The scope of this Research Topic encompasses, but is not limited to, the following themes:
• Legal admissibility and judicial interpretation of forensic DNA evidence and probabilistic genotyping results
• Ethical governance of national and regional forensic DNA databases, data retention, and consent protocols
• DNA integrity, theft, and fabrication, including implications for chain of custody and evidentiary reliability
• Forensic ancestry inference, biogeographical profiling, and externally visible characteristic prediction
• Population genetic databases for underrepresented or Indigenous groups, data sovereignty, and benefit-sharing
• Kinship, paternity, and familial searching: rights of third parties and privacy concerns
• Data protection, postmortem genetic privacy, and implications of genetic surveillance technologies
• Implementation of forensic genomics in low- and middle-income countries and contexts of limited regulation
• Regulation of emerging forensic technologies (e.g., forensic genealogy, predictive policing, and AI-based profiling)
• Algorithmic bias, accountability, and transparency in AI-assisted forensic interpretation tools
• Cross-border forensic data exchange, regulatory harmonization, and international legal cooperation
• Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), ELSA, and bioethical governance frameworks
• Cultural, philosophical, and spiritual perspectives on genetic identity and human dignity
• Standards for expert evidence and the role of forensic experts in courtrooms (e.g., admissibility thresholds, judicial scrutiny, and cross-examination challenges)
• Miscarriages of justice linked to DNA evidence: wrongful convictions, interpretation errors, and post-conviction review
• Human rights implications of forensic DNA use, including proportionality, necessity, and surveillance ethics

This Research Topic focuses exclusively on the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of forensic science; technical or methodological studies without substantial ELSI analysis fall outside its scope. By fostering dialogue among forensic practitioners, ethicists, policymakers, and legal experts, this initiative seeks to advance global understanding of ethical governance, justice, and societal trust in forensic and population genomics, while ensuring representative inclusion of marginalized populations in the global forensic landscape.