Building a biometric database in Afghanistan raises concerns about the United States: it will not fall into the hands of the Taliban

According to NBC, 15 years ago, the United States established a biometric database in Afghanistan that contains the fingerprints, irises and facial pictures of millions of Afghans. The United States originally established this biometric system with the aim of identifying and tracking terrorists. The United States shares the system with the Afghan government it supports.

After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the biometric system raised concerns among some privacy advocates. They worry that the Taliban may access the system and get a dataset of biometric information that can be used to identify and harm human rights groups or groups of women.

But many still worry that the Taliban may build their own biometric database based on the system.

The collection began 15 years ago with the aim of tracking down terrorists

The United States has been collecting biometric data on Afghans since 2006. According to three U.S. troops who served in Afghanistan, they were responsible for collecting the iris and fingerprints of Afghans at that time, so that the security forces had an iris database and fingerprint database, the main purpose of which was to track down terrorists. For example, when a bomb is found in a place, the military can compare the fingerprints on the bomb with the fingerprint library.

The U.S. Department of Defense did not disclose how many Afghans were in the system, but veterans who worked on biometric collection in Afghanistan said the system was widely used. A military doctor who worked in an Afghan hospital said he had been asked to take irises, fingerprints and facial photographs of every Afghan who walked into the hospital.

By 2009, the FBI and the U.S. military had officially shared this biometric data with the Afghan government and trained Afghans on how to analyze the data, helping Afghanistan build its own biometric system, which is run by about 50 Afghan government personnel.

According to a 2010 U.S. government report, the program's early goal in Afghanistan was to obtain biometric information for 80 percent of the country's population.

According to a former U.S. military officer, in 2011, the United States officially handed over some of its biometric datasets to the Afghan government. A 2014 report also said the U.S. military would share biometric records and lists of suspicious persons with the Afghan government.

U.S. Department of Defense: Sensitive data will not fall into the hands of the Taliban

One of the main tools for U.S. forces and the former Afghan government to collect biometric information is a handheld identity detection device that scans fingerprints, irises, facial photos and enters demographic details.

Media reports suggest that the devices have been confiscated by the Taliban this month, but whether the Taliban have synchronized them with a biometric database created in the United States remains unknown.

Last week, 36 civil society organizations signed a joint letter calling on governments, organizations and private contractors who created the database in Afghanistan to take immediate action to shut down and delete the biometric database.

"This data has been used to target vulnerable groups, and digital, searchable databases amplify the risk of misuse of this data." The letter reads.

Still, U.S. Defense Department spokesman Eric Parhun denied that biometric data was risky. "The United States has taken prudent action to ensure that sensitive data does not fall into the hands of the Taliban. There is no risk of misuse of this data. He said.

But there are still many concerns that because the United States has trained some Afghans to teach them how to access and create databases, the Taliban, once they have the equipment, may recruit people trained in the program and start collating and collecting their own data sets.

"Now that they have the equipment, they might build their own database." Welton Chang, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer and chief technical officer for human rights first, said. "They can use biometric databases to discriminate against or track people around them."

Two U.S. veterans who have participated in the program also said they are concerned that biometric data could be used exclusively for women if the Taliban have a way to use biometric information.

Compilation/Synthesis: Nandu reporter Li Yaning