China's Mass Collection Of US Health Care Data Poses 'Serious Risks' To Privacy, Security, Economy: Report

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center on Monday issued a warning about China’s effort to collect important health care data from Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a fact sheet released on the Director of National Intelligence’s website, the NCSC said Beijing is aiming to collect and exploit valuable U.S. health care information for “purposes only it can control.” The agency also warned against the “serious risks” to privacy, security and the economy that Beijing poses.

“For years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has collected large healthcare data sets from the U.S. and nations around the globe, through both legal and illegal means, for purposes only it can control,” the fact sheet states. “The PRC’s collection of healthcare data from America poses equally serious risks, not only to the privacy of Americans, but also to the economic and national security of the U.S.”

The NCSC said the Chinese government is targeting the U.S. population mainly because of its ethnic diversity. American companies and firms also focus on safeguarding privacy, which makes it easier for foreign entities to gain access to valuable data, the agency said.

In the U.S., the cyber actors based in China or companies attributed to the Chinese government have stolen the personal data of approximately 21 million Americans from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The agency also estimated that the cyberattacks on Equifax and Anthem that occurred between 2014 and 2017 gave the PRC the data of at least 223 million people.

Under Beijing’s national security law, Chinese companies are obliged to share any information they have collected with the Chinese government, as well as assist in any national intelligence efforts. Collected data sets could give China leverage for blackmails.

“Vulnerabilities in specific individuals revealed by genomic data or health records could be used to help target these individuals. Data associated with an embarrassing addiction or mental illness could be leveraged for blackmail. Combine this information with stolen credit data indicating bankruptcy or major debt and the tools for exerting leverage increase,” the fact sheet says.

Foreign access to valuable health care data also helps Chinese forms create new drugs and treatments, which puts the United States’ biotech industry at a disadvantage. While American patients can benefit from more advance treatments, it could leave the country dependent on Chinese innovation and cures.

The report comes days after Bill Evanina, the country’s former top counterintelligence officer, revealed BGI Group offered to build and run coronavirus testing labs in six U.S. states in an effort to “collect American’s DNA to win a race to control the world’s biodata.” BGI Group is a Chinese company that’s considered the largest biotech firm globally.

“This shows the nefarious mindset of the Communist Party of China, to take advantage of a worldwide crisis like COVID. We put out an advisory to not only every American, but to hospitals, associations, and clinics,” Evanina said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes.”

Beijing has been accused of exploiting the DNA of the Uighur Muslims living in the Xinjiang region for genetic surveillance and control over the minority group. Chinese authorities have collected the biometric data of Xinjiang residents ages of 12 to 65.