As part of surveillance efforts in Xinjiang, authorities have collected biometric data, including facial scans and fingerprints—used to verify identities at the region’s ubiquitous checkpoints—and DNA data. Moreau says DNA profiling does not directly enable mass internments or forced labor. Rather the impact is psychological, reinforcing citizens’ feelings of constant surveillance. Byler adds that DNA profiling “could be used to enforce a ‘zero illegal births’ policy by tracking maternity and paternity,” and to find matches for organ harvesting from prisoners, “of which there is some limited evidence.”
As authorities have tightened their grip on Xinjiang, Chinese researchers have stepped up research into the region’s culture and genetics, says Huang Futao, a higher education scholar at Hiroshima University. Some of this research is supported by the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, Huang says, and focuses on topics related to maintaining social safety and stability. The results have often been published in international journals.