China is collecting DNA samples from its citizens to use as part of its surveillance and security operations. The country's predominantly Muslim Uighur population has been particularly targeted by the scheme, with the government using the database to track down individuals hostile to its clampdown on opposition to the Communist Party. The researchers said they had obtained 95 Uighur DNA samples, some of which were given to them by the police. In a statement released last week, China's Ministry of Public Security said that it had "received information about an incident in which Chinese nationals were involved in illegal activities abroad," but did not elaborate.
China is collecting DNA samples from its citizens to use as part of its surveillance and security operations. The country's predominantly Muslim Uighur population has been particularly targeted by the scheme, with the government using the database to track down individuals hostile to its clampdown on opposition to the Communist Party. In a statement released last week, China's Ministry of Public Security said that it had "received information about an incident in which Chinese nationals were involved in illegal activities abroad," but did not elaborate.