Over 3 million DNA profiles from individuals are now on the National DNA Database® (NDNAD) and this number continues to increase. A series of legislative changes have contributed to the extensive expansion of the NDNAD. While there is overall support for the Database as an intelligence tool, there is a need to balance the benefits to society and individual rights. This POSTnote will provide an overview of the NDNAD and cover issues such as the retention of samples, ethical oversight of the Database and the extraction of information from DNA.