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Lumifer comments on Now is the time to eliminate mosquitoes - Less Wrong
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That's an excellent way to end up in jail on bioterrorism charges.
I don't think what I'm advocating can by any reasonable or standard definition be classified as terrorism. I'm not seeking to harm or scare anyone.
You would, at the very least, be in violation of several acts regarding approval of GMOs: https://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_of_the_release_of_genetically_modified_organisms#United_States Specifically, you'd be violating FDA requirements by releasing '“new animal drugs” (NADs)' without approval. Depending on whether mosquitoes are considered plant pests, it looks like you'd also be violating Department of Agriculture laws. I assume you'd probably also be violating a number of EPA laws but didn't see anything specifically about that.
Couldn't you get around these laws by either (a) releasing the mosquitoes outside of the U.S. or (b) creating and releasing them outside of the U.S.?
Maybe not. At least one bioterrorism provision has extraterritoriality.
Do you know that a pipe bomb is legally classified as a weapon of mass destruction?
Yes it is (with emphasis on the word "excellent"). That's part of why doing it would make one a superhero.
Edit: I wonder if you could do this without breaking any laws if you only release the mosquitoes in international waters?
Actually, ending up in jail is a good option. I suspect that there are certain government agencies which, on learning that you secretly plan to release genetically-engineered insects into the wild, would just disappear you. Notably such agencies give zero shits about concepts like "international waters".