(AP) -- Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that police in western China's Xinjiang region have sought more than $11.5 million in equipment to analyze DNA samples. Maya Wang, a researcher for the group, said the move opens the door to the mass collection of information on people unconnected to criminal investigations.

Xinjiang has seen a wave of deadly attacks in recent years blamed on Muslim separatists from the region's native Uighur (WEE-gur) ethnic group.

As part of a broader security crackdown, authorities last year reportedly required Xinjiang residents to submit DNA samples, fingerprints and voice records to obtain passports or travel abroad.