The murky waters of DNA ethics are about to get more complicated.
In an essay for The Conversation, law professors from Georgia State University and the University of Maryland argue that genetics could be used to track down public figures.
They argue that it could be bad news for celebrities and the general public if that happens.
The lack of a firm precedent, recent innovations in genetics and reproduction, and blurry public interest laws make courts ill-equipped to deal with celebrity DNA theft.
The buying and selling of alleged celebrity souvenirs is nothing new, from Britney Spears' gum to the half-eaten French toast of a celebrity. If they're legit, some of these items could be carrying genetic material.
Genetic technologies have come a long way since scientists announced they had mapped the entire human genome in 2003 There are new possibilities for disturbing behavior as a result of those breakthrough.
One day, IVG may be able to turn non-reproductive cells from nearly any tissue or organ into sperm or egg cells.
The ramifications of such a technology are frightening.
"Imagine being able to produce a child with your favorite movie star using the genes from a strand of hair or a piece of skin," reads a post from Georgia State University. The plot to a sci-fi thriller is not that far away.
What precedent does exist? Madonna lost her bid to stop the auction of several personal objects, including her hair brush and underwear.
According to the professors in the Conversation essay, courts will likely fit cases involving genetic paparazzi into the legal framework of privacy rights, a complex web of state and federal regulations governing how information can be acquired, accessed, stored and used.
The US legal system doesn't know how to meaningfully recognize the personal right to one's own genetic information, a dangerous gap that could leave individuals vulnerable.
It's more important than ever that the gap is filled as more and more of the world's population will be able to access the benefits of the new technology. Who will make sure that our most private biological data doesn't end up in someone else's possession?
We have to wait and see how courts handle cases brought by or against public figures as they will have broader implications for the general public.
"Judges will need to confront fundamental questions about how genetics relates to personhood and identity, property, health and disease, intellectual property and reproductive rights," the researchers wrote.
More on Musk's idea of storing all human genetic material in a data base.
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