China Is Collecting DNA From Tens of Millions of Men and Boys, Using U.S. Equipment - The New York Times

China Is Collecting DNA From Tens of Millions of Men and Boys, Using U.S. Equipment - The New York Times

China gathers DNA of millions of males

China is collecting DNA samples from up to 10% of its male population — that’s about 70 million adults and children — according to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The police say that the database will help them to fight crime, and that donors provide consent. But those who decline to provide samples can have “benefits like the right to travel and go to a hospital” revoked, reports The New York Times. US scientific-equipment giant Thermo Fisher Scientific provides some kits to police agencies that are gathering the data. Last year, Thermo Fisher stopped selling equipment to Xinjiang because of criticism over how Chinese authorities are monitoring and tracking the region’s Muslim Uighur people.

The New York Times | 10 min read
Read more: China expands DNA data grab in troubled western region (Nature, from 2017)Reference: Australian Strategic Policy Institute report