U.S. Warns of Efforts by China to Collect Genetic Data

BETHESDA, Md. — Chinese firms are collecting familial information from astir the world, portion of an effort by the Chinese authorities and companies to make the world’s largest bio-database, American quality officials reported connected Friday.

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center said successful a caller insubstantial that the United States needs to amended unafraid captious technologies including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors and different technologies related to the alleged bioeconomy.

China and different countries are trying to predominate these technologies, and are utilizing some ineligible and amerciable means to get American cognize how, said Michael Orlando, the acting manager of the counterintelligence center, an limb of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The American backstage assemblage has agelong been successful the transverse hairs of China and different countries trying to bargain American exertion and intelligence property. Other countries similar Russia besides stay a threat, but the economical mightiness of China makes it the biggest threat, officials said.

China believes dominating these areas volition springiness it an economical edge, and American companies are besides investing heavily. Artificial quality and instrumentality learning clasp the committedness to revolutionize galore aspects of life, including subject operations. Quantum computing volition let countries to interruption the toughest encryption that exists today, and semiconductors are captious not conscionable for computers but galore user products.

But officials are present besides stressing the intersection of exertion and familial and biologic probe arsenic an country of contention and espionage. Edward You, who is the nationalist counterintelligence serviceman for emerging and disruptive technologies, said the Chinese authorities is collecting medical, wellness and familial information astir the world. The state that builds the champion database of accusation volition person an borderline connected processing cures for aboriginal pandemics, and China already has an advantage, helium said.

Beijing has a way grounds of misusing familial data, the counterintelligence halfway said, citing a 2019 New York Times report connected however China uses familial tests to way members of the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim number group.

Citing a Reuters report, Mr. You said a Chinese company, BGI, had developed a neonatal familial trial with the Chinese subject that had enabled it to cod accusation from millions of radical astir the world. The steadfast gained a foothold successful the United States successful 2013, erstwhile it purchased an American genomics firm.

The counterintelligence halfway besides highlighted investments by WuXi, which bought a Pfizer manufacturing works successful China, announced a accumulation installation successful Massachusetts and made an concern successful 2015 successful 23andMe, the user genetics company.

But 23andMe said that fears of China stealing its information are misplaced.

WuXi has a little than 1 percent concern successful 23andMe and has ne'er received immoderate lawsuit data, Jacquie Cooke Haggarty, the company’s lawman wide counsel, said successful a statement. No information has ever been shared with a Chinese-owned institution and nary capitalist has entree to the data, she said.

“All of our investigating is performed and has ever been performed successful U.S.-based laboratories,” she said.

The institution besides said it stores accusation astir names and interaction accusation abstracted from its familial data. The institution follows the highest encryption standards and tests its defenses daily, she said.

Mr. Orlando said helium was not arguing for decoupling the Chinese and American economies, but said the halfway was trying to pass companies of the risks of moving with Chinese firms nether the strict power of the authorities successful Beijing.

“We aren’t telling radical to decouple, but if you are going to bash concern successful China, beryllium astute astir it,” Mr. Orlando said.

Though China is seeking a wide array of commercialized data, the biggest menace is to the precocious tech industries Beijing has said it wants to predominate successful the decades to come.

American and European officials person agelong said China steals intelligence property, makes cheaper versions of products, puts occidental competitors retired of concern past dominates the market. That is simply a signifier China has followed successful star panels, for example.

“These technologies are captious and we cannot fto what happened to different industries hap here,” Mr. Orlando said.

In caller years the F.B.I. and the counterintelligence halfway person stepped up wide warnings to businesses and universities astir Chinese attempts to bargain American technology. Some of those overtures person been greeted skeptically, peculiarly astatine universities who judge the U.S. authorities whitethorn beryllium trying to bounds the fig of Chinese students that survey astatine American universities.

While the U.S. authorities tin reappraisal galore acquisitions of American companies by Chinese ones, different Chinese investments are harder to regulate. Mr. Orlando said an American institution partnering with a Chinese 1 should instrumentality steps to support its data.

“It’s each astir the data,” Mr. You said. “There are nationalist information implications we person to understand.”