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posted by martyb on Friday May 26 2017, @01:09PM   Printer-friendly
from the what-comes-next? dept.

Chinese police are amassing a huge amount of genetic information in Xinjiang:

Police in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, China, have been collecting DNA samples from citizens and are now ramping up their capacity to analyse that genetic cache, according to evidence compiled by activists and details gathered by Nature. The advocacy group Human Rights Watch reported last month that Xinjiang authorities intend to accelerate efforts to gather blood samples from the region's large population of Muslim Uighur people. China's government has cracked down on Xinjiang's separatist movement in recent years, so the prospect of a DNA database there has stoked fears that authorities could use it as a political weapon.

[...] In its report, the organization said that Xinjiang's police had ordered 12 DNA sequencers. Nature has confirmed the order and learned, from documents and interviews with those involved in the transaction, that the police have purchased enough machines to process up to 2,000 DNA samples per day. The police department hung up when Nature rang to ask about the reason for the purchase.

[...] Many countries use DNA fingerprinting to solve crimes, reunite kidnapped children with their parents and identify bodies, and some researchers say that the boost in Xinjiang's DNA-analysis capacity does not, by itself, stand out. "Expansion of police surveillance is expected by any civilized nation," says Sara Katsanis, who researches the applications of genetic testing at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Still, Katsanis and others worry about how DNA is being collected in China and especially in Xinjiang. Last year, Human Rights Watch reported that citizens in Xinjiang were required to give a blood sample to get a passport. And in March, Chinese state media detailed the conclusion of a 4-month programme during which 17.5 million people — who were predominantly Uighurs — were given health checks, including blood tests. Last week, reports emerged that many of the people who underwent these examinations had been forced to do so.

Previously:
China Bans Islam-Related Names in Xinjiang


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  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday May 26 2017, @02:43PM (2 children)

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday May 26 2017, @02:43PM (#515972) Journal
    Or just good old fashioned ethnic cleansing/genocide.
  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday May 26 2017, @04:44PM (1 child)

    by bob_super (1357) on Friday May 26 2017, @04:44PM (#516018)

    The Chinese don't eradicate outright, they dilute.

    Old comedian talking as a Chinese: the egg has a yellow part and a whiteish part. When you mix the two, the whole thing is yellow.

    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday May 26 2017, @05:19PM

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Friday May 26 2017, @05:19PM (#516038) Journal
      I did mention ethnic cleansing, so I got that covered. But one can't rule out genocide since the Chinese are putting into play a tool that makes that easier and more effective without any sort of institutional safeguards against genocide at the national level (such as democratic elections).