Chinese Police Using Biometric Data for Social Control, Not Crime Prevention, Report Says

Chinese police are collecting extensive amounts of biometric data in regions predominantly inhabited by ethnic minorities, utilizing this data not for crime or terrorism prevention but for social control, according to a recent report by The Citizen Lab submitted to the United Nations rights rapporteur.

The report, produced by the University of Toronto-based research institute, highlights that the two mass biometric data collection programs in Tibet and Qinghai Province are orchestrated by Chinese public security organs. Despite being framed as measures against crime or terrorism, the programs are “unconnected to investigations into criminal or terrorist activity and do not appear to be specifically authorized by Chinese law,” the report states.

“Instead, these two programs appear to be part of broader public security surveillance and social control programs.”

The findings were presented to the United Nations special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, who sought public input on how counter-terrorism laws impact civil rights and freedoms. In a “Global Study” based on the feedback, the special rapporteur identified that some countries exploit these laws under the guise of national security, granting police and security forces excessive power, leading to the suppression of peaceful protests.

The special rapporteur’s report emphasized how the “weaponization” of new technologies like biometrics—measuring unique human traits such as faces, fingerprints, irises, voices, and DNA to identify or verify people—has intensified the harassment of civil society actors.

Emile Dirks, a research associate at The Citizen Lab and author of the report, in a July 31 press release, urged the U.N. special rapporteur to demand Chinese authorities clarify the purpose and scope of the biometric collection programs and verify their compliance with China’s human rights obligations.

Organ Harvesting Concerns

The mass biometric collection by the Chinese regime extends beyond ethnic minorities, raising alarms about its potential use in severe human rights abuses, including organ harvesting.

A November 2023 report from the UK Home Department referenced a July 15, 2020 incident where Chinese authorities utilized facial recognition technology to locate and arbitrarily detain a Falun Gong practitioner. Falun Gong, a spiritual practice rooted in Buddhist traditions, has faced severe persecution by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999.

“Facial recognition technology enables cameras to quickly identify citizens. Falun Gong practitioners known to police have long been considered targets of detailed surveillance. Their biometrics and other data have been collected and stored in ‘key individual’ databases for over a decade. This facilitates cross-referencing and identification,” stated the report “Country Policy and Information Note.”

The report also cited a June 2021 press release from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noting that detained Falun Gong practitioners, alongside other targeted minorities, have been forcibly subjected to blood tests and organ examinations.

“The results of the examinations are reportedly registered in a database of living organ sources that facilitates organ allocation,” the report said.

A U.S. report on International Religious Freedom cited an incident originally documented by Minghui.org, a website reporting on the Falun Gong community. On October 4, 2022, police in Jinan City, Shandong Province, arrested Falun Gong practitioner Xu Wenlong and his cousin. The police reportedly drew blood samples from both individuals and threatened to kill Xu.

These revelations underscore the urgent need for international scrutiny and accountability concerning China’s use of biometric data and its broader implications for human rights.