Rights campaigners warn that China is using free medical exams as a pretext to collect DNA, iris scans, fingerprints, and other biometric data from almost every resident in the far western Xinjiang region, home to the Uighur Muslim minority.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says it is not clear whether those who take the physical exams realize their personal information is being recorded and stored.  The group points to an official document that suggests the surveillance state in Xinjiang is far more widespread than previously believed.  It's believed that 19 million people have taken part in the "Physicals For All" free healthcare exams, which have also been offered to Xinjiang natives now living in other parts of China.  The biometric data is forwarded to police for profile. 

"The mandatory databanking of a whole population's biodata, including DNA, is a gross violation of international human rights norms," said HRW's Sophie Richardson.  "It's even more disturbing if it is done surreptitiously, under the guise of a free healthcare program."

The 11 million Uihurs in Xinjiang are a Muslim Turkic minority, which has given birth to a separatist element responsible for a series of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang and beyond.  Heavily-armed troops are a common sight on Xinjiang streets, as are government-sponsored rallies used to bolster the fight against extremists.  On the other side, Uighurs complain that the best jobs and opportunities are withheld from them and given to Han Chinese transplants from the east.