Police in western China’s Xinjiang region confirmed to The Associated Press that they are in the process of purchasing at least $8.7 million in equipment to analyse DNA samples. Observers from Human Rights Watch said they’ve seen evidence of almost $3 million in additional purchases related to DNA testing. The purchases of DNA testing equipment in Xinjiang were confirmed by an official at the regional Public Security Bureau. In the US, where laws generally limit DNA collection to people who have been arrested, the FBI has 12.8 million offenders in its DNA database, according to the agency. “It’s clear there’s a fairly large infrastructure being built for DNA collection and they’re planning to expand that further,” Wallace said.

Source: Hindustan Times May 16, 2017 12:56 UTC