Standardized testing is a common method by which colleges and universities evaluate the competency of applying high school students. But an increasing amount of students are cheating on such tests, which has caused lawmakers in New York to consider actually harvesting "digital DNA" from students and applying it to special ID cards that students would be required to furnish both before and after taking the SAT or ACT exams to prove their identities.

...the technology has the potential to be widely abused by the government, as it could eventually be used to force compliance with totalitarian dictates like forced medication or vaccination.

If a student is not up to date with his or her recommended vaccinations, for instance, he or she could one day be barred from certain opportunities, including the freedom to go to college. There is really no limit to the type of control that could be exerted over individuals if such technology becomes the norm.

Digital DNA is everywhere. From frequent shopper cards to digital photos, EZPass toll booth technology to emails, and smartphones to Word documents, every time an individual uses technology a digital stream of evidence is left behind that law enforcement agencies can use to trace their actions.

As laws governing digital evidence struggle to keep pace with changes in technology, Andrew Hildebrand, the associate dean of DeVry University’s College of Business and Management, said, “Yes, we should be worried, but not to the point of paralysis.”

“But this is a national dialog that needs to take place,” he said.