This is the true story of the Afghan biometric archives left to the Taliban

According to Jacobsen’s book, AABIS aims to cover 80% of the population of Afghanistan by the year 2012, or about 25 million people. Although there is not much information on the amount of this information, and the contractor in charge of the warehouse or officials in the U.S. Department of Defense did not respond to a request for comment, one unconfirmed person from LinkedIn’s US-based program supervisor puts an estimated 8.1 million records.

AABIS was widely used in various ways by the previous Afghan government. Applying for government jobs and job responsibilities requires a biometric check from the MoI system to ensure that the applicants are free from crime or terrorism. Biometric checks also require a passport, national ID, and driver’s license, as well as a college entrance exam in the country.

Also, some young people, a little less than AABIS, have been connected to “e-tazkira”, a national professional license. By the time the government collapsed, they had worked for about 6.2 million people, according to National Statistics and Information Authority, although it is not known how many people have previously provided biometric data.

Biometrics is also used, or disseminated, in other government departments. The Independent Election Commission used a voting machine to try to prevent voter fraud in the 2019 parliamentary elections, with dubious consequences. In 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Trade he announced to collect biometrics from those who register new businesses.

Although there were many systems, they were not fully connected. An August 2019 search and the US found that although $ 38 million was spent so far, APPS did not meet most of its goals: biometrics were not directly included in employee files, but were simply linked to a unique biometric number. Although the system did not directly interact with other Afghan government computers, such as the Ministry of Finance, which sent the payments. APPS still relies on data entry systems, the review said, which allows for human error or interference.

A global story

Afghanistan is not the only country that accepts biometrics. Many countries are concerned about so-called “spirit mediums” —a false sign used to collect money illegally or for other purposes. Preventing such fraud is the justification for biometric systems, says Amba Kak, director of global policy and programs at AI Now institute and legal expert on biometric systems.

“It is easy to paint this [APPS] is unique, “says Kak, who translated the book into international standards. “It seems to be going on a lot and facing global events” around biometric.

Most people know that having a valid license is a right, but “confusing the ID is the only way to make a case,” he says, “and it’s a little confusing and dangerous.”

Kak doubts whether biometrics – rather than correcting facts – is the right false answer, and adds that it is often “not evidence.”

But heavily supported by US military targets and international funding, Afghanistan’s dissemination of these technologies has been alarming. Although the APPS and others did not achieve their goal, they still have many terabytes of what Afghan Taliban can do.

“Prominent rule” —but who?

The alarm that goes off on the remaining electronic devices, is the amount of information about life in Afghanistan, did not stop the massacre in two weeks between the Taliban’s entry into Kabul and the official release of American troops.

At the moment, information is being collected mainly by volunteers with good intentions in Google forms are not protected by spreadsheets.

Singh said the issue of government disruption should be addressed. “We do not take part in anything,” he said, “but we should do it, especially in war-torn areas where information can be used to create unrest.”

Kak, a biometrics legal researcher, suggests the best way to protect sensitive information could be that “these types of [data] architecture … not originally built. ”

For Jacobsen, a writer and journalist, it is amazing that the Department of Defense’s interest in using information to identify it can help the Taliban achieve its meaning. “It would be a fear of what the Taliban are doing,” he said.

Finally, some experts say that even if Afghan government systems were not allied with them, it could be a saving grace if the Taliban tried to exploit the situation. “I think APPS is still not working well, which is probably a good thing considering the recent developments,” said Dan Grazier, a former soldier who works on the Project on Government Oversight oversight team, via email.

But for those connected to the APPS database, who can now find themselves or their relatives being hunted by Taliban, it is minimal, and unreliable.

“The Afghan military has trusted its international counterparts, including the US-led government, to develop a system like this,” said one expert. “And now this treasury will be used as [new] a government tool. ”