(Bloomberg) — The U.S. will take a series of actions aimed at curbing what it characterized as Chinese misuse of biometric surveillance technology to track and repress ethnic and religious minorities, a senior administration official said Thursday.
The Commerce Department will add China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences to its banned entity list. The academy includes 11 research institutes that focus on using biotechnology to support the military.
The Treasury Department also will designate as banned several entities that have actively supported biometric surveillance, especially of Muslim Uyghur minorities.
Read more: House Approves Bill Targeting China Over Uyghur Forced Labor
The official said China had a documented history of exploiting DNA collection and biometric facial recognition for mass surveillance of all residents aged 12 to 65 of Xinjiang, a predominantly Muslim region, enabling mass detention and unlawful persecution.
Thursday’s actions follow the Dec. 10 identification of SenseTime Group Inc., China’s largest artificial intelligence firm, which withdrew its planned initial public offering in Hong Kong following Treasury’s actions last week.
SenseTime is considering reopening orders for its IPO as soon as Monday, according to people familiar with the matter.
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