The Rise of Surveillance in China

Why is China constructing a genetic database for its 700 million males? Alarmingly, an American firm, Thermo Fisher, is assisting in this endeavor, contributing to the development of a sophisticated surveillance apparatus.

One can’t help but ponder the level of compliance exhibited by China’s 1.4 billion citizens, who must navigate a landscape rife with extensive surveillance enforced by a totalitarian regime. Social interactions, online activities, and freedom of expression are all monitored under the watchful gaze of China’s communist authorities.

China has a history of remarkable achievements, and its latest initiative may just be another monumental step. The nation is on a trajectory to establish itself as a high-tech surveillance state through the implementation of advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence.

In a bid to bolster law enforcement, the Chinese government is collecting blood samples from millions of males. Police are reportedly visiting homes and educational institutions to extract blood and gather genetic data from approximately 700 million males nationwide.

As detailed by the New York Times, law enforcement began sweeping the country in late 2017 to amass sufficient samples for a comprehensive DNA database. While the Chinese government's extensive oversight has drawn criticism from the West, it is noteworthy that an American corporation, Thermo Fisher, is playing a pivotal role in this extensive project.

The Massachusetts-based company has supplied tailored DNA testing kits to Chinese law enforcement. Despite pushback from American lawmakers, the company has defended its involvement. The ostensible purpose of this genetic database is to combat crime, but critics warn that such a database could infringe on privacy rights and potentially allow authorities to target the families of dissidents and activists.

“The capability of the authorities to identify intimate relationships, especially given the historical context of punishing entire families for one individual’s activism, could create a chilling atmosphere across society,” said Maya Wang, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The Chinese authorities aim to curb crime rates, particularly since statistics indicate that men are disproportionately involved in criminal activity. This initiative reportedly stems from a case in Inner Mongolia, where the perpetrator was involved in multiple murders. Police spent three decades gathering 230,000 fingerprints and analyzing over 100,000 DNA samples.

In 2016, they arrested a man for unrelated bribery charges, who turned out to be a relative of the murderer, as confirmed by DNA evidence. This led to the capture and subsequent execution of the murderer, motivating the push for a national male DNA database.

Currently, China possesses the largest genetic database, containing 80 million profiles. A recent report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute suggests that Chinese authorities plan to collect DNA from an additional 35 to 70 million men and boys, representing roughly 5 to 10% of the male population. This would facilitate genetic profiling, as one individual's DNA can reveal the genetic identities of all their male relatives.

While the database is still under construction, its existing contents are already being leveraged to enhance surveillance operations. However, there is significant opposition to this initiative within China, as such intrusions are not regulated by current laws, potentially leading to backlash among the populace. To mitigate this, the majority of data collection is occurring in rural areas, where the implications of the program are less understood by the residents.

In my view, this represents yet another mechanism for the authoritarian regime in China to exert total social control.

Complete Study was published in the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

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