Chinese Government Is Collecting DNA Data On Muslims

In a far region of China, the Xinjiang region, DNA samples, fingerprints and other biometric data is being collected from every resident in a region populated by 11 million Uighurs, a Muslim Turkic minority.  Why?  We don't know, but officials say it is to help deal with poverty.  The information they gather can be used for surveillance of persons because of ethnicity, religion, opinion or other protected excersice of rights like free speech, according to Human Rights Watch.

Part of the collection is being done through government-provided medical checkups, and it is unclear if patients are aware the exam is also designed to transmit biometric data to the police.
Although the checks are officially voluntary, one Uighur said local cadres “had demanded that they must participate in the physicals”. A story in a local newspaper encouraged officials to “work hard to convince them to participate”.
Nearly 19 million people have participated in the medical exams, dubbed Physicals for All, in 2017, according to state news agency Xinhua. For people determined to be “focus personnel” – a euphemism for those the government views as dangerous – their data will be collected regardless of age.
“The mandatory databanking of a whole population’s biodata, including DNA, is a gross violation of international human rights norms,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s even more disturbing if it is done surreptitiously, under the guise of a free healthcare program.

The collection of DNA can have many positive uses in the modern world, but can also be used to cause harm.  What do you think?  I find this alarming.  I hope world watch groups bring this to everyone's attention and there is some control on the collection and use of DNA worldwide.