Prenatal test developed with Chinese military stores gene data

[mountaineer]

Prenatal test developed with Chinese military stores gene data
July 7, 2021
Reuters

A prenatal test taken by millions of pregnant women globally was developed by Chinese gene company BGI Group in collaboration with the Chinese military and is being used by the firm to collect genetic data, a Reuters review of publicly available documents found.

The report is the first to reveal that the company collaborated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to develop and improve the test, taken in early pregnancy, as well as the scope of BGI's storage and analysis of the data. The United States sees BGI's efforts to collect and analyse human gene data as a national security threat. ...

BGI uses leftover blood samples sent to its laboratory in Hong Kong and genetic data from the tests for population research, the company confirmed to Reuters. Reuters found the genetic data of over 500 women who took the test, including women in Europe and Asia, is also stored in the government-funded China National GeneBank in Shenzhen, which BGI runs.

Reuters found no evidence BGI violated privacy agreements or regulations; the company said it obtains signed consent and destroys overseas samples and data after five years. ...

Reuters via Bangkok Post

[mountaineer]

Gordon G. Chang
@GordonGChang
#China’s military is collecting the #DNA of non-#Chinese because it is developing pathogens that will kill only foreigners. Chinese military researchers for a half decade have openly talked about conducting “specific ethnic genetic attacks.”
3:09 PM · Jul 8, 2021·

Gordon Chang is author of The Coming Collapse of China and The Great U.S.-China Tech War.

[mountaineer]

NY Post reports:

... The report is the first to reveal that the company collaborated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to develop and improve the test, taken in early pregnancy, as well as the scope of BGI’s storage and analysis of the data. The United States sees BGI’s efforts to collect and analyze human gene data as a national security threat. ...

 “At no stage throughout the testing or research process does BGI have access to any identifiable personal data,” the company said.

However, the test’s privacy policy says data collected can be shared when it is “directly relevant to national security or national defense security” in China. BGI said it “has never been asked to provide – nor provided – data from its NIFTY tests to Chinese authorities for national security or national defense purposes.”

The U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center, which has previously warned about Chinese firms collecting health data, said in response to Reuters’ findings that women taking the NIFTY test abroad should be concerned by a privacy policy that allows data to be shared with Chinese security agencies. ...

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[Kamaji]

They're up to something with that.

[mountaineer]

They're up to something with that.

That's what Gordon Chang said.

[DefiantMassRINO]

What totalitarian expansionist government doesn't want to develop an army of super-soldiers and gain competitive advantage over potential enemies?

Also, such a large genetic dataset may further their artificial intelligence and analysis efforts and develop medicines to use as tools of diplomacy, politics, and economics.