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Compulsory DNA testing of all citizens and visitors sounds like an Orwellian nightmare, but this is the new reality in a wealthy Gulf state. Kuwait has become – a worry on so many fronts.

What happens if the DNA database is hacked? And even if the current government can keep the database secure, what might happen in the event of a regime change?

The Kuwaiti government says DNA testing, , is needed to , and introduced the measure in the wake of a bombing that killed 27 people there last year. While the need to have a swab taken may discourage attackers from entering the country, we should not forget that a lot of terrorism these days is home-grown. And who ever heard of a suicide bomber being dissuaded because they might be identified after blowing themselves up?

The government has also said the database could help identify victims. But if a bomb causes many fatalities, DNA will not help much in distinguishing the attacker from those killed. The terrorism argument is so spurious that even the least suspicious among us might begin to wonder whether there is an ulterior motive for this wholesale collection of DNA.

Let’s just try to imagine some of the other potential uses. Worrying examples spring easily to mind: checking paternity in a country with severe adultery laws or trying to uncover someone’s ethnic origin in order to discriminate. And we know from history that many initiatives that started out with the best of intentions have ended up used for nefarious purposes.

It seems to me, too, that the Kuwaiti government could cause irreparable harm to the country’s economy and reputation. Tourists may not know that their DNA will be collected upon arrival; neither will they understand all that this implies. Some may accept the sampling, but others will choose to stay away.

There are implications for business and science. European industry and research has benefited hugely from the loosening of travel restrictions and the subsequent . Companies will now think twice about opening facilities there.

And will scientists from abroad still wish to attend conferences in Kuwait in the knowledge that their right to privacy will be invaded so dramatically? I think not. This could have a major impact on Kuwait’s standing as a conference host and .

As a scientist using genetics to seek medical advances, I also worry that compulsory collection of DNA might affect public willingness elsewhere to support research. If sampling becomes linked to coercion in the public eye, this is likely to reduce people’s readiness to include their genome in research databases, which are so important in the quest to better understand and treat disease.

Kuwait has invested heavily in genetic technology, so collecting DNA on this scale would probably be feasible, at least in the first instance. But the question is not whether it is feasible, but rather whether it is desirable.

The answer is clear; it is neither appropriate nor helpful in tackling the dangers it is designed to confront, and the threat posed in the event of its misuse is highly alarming.