HIIDE can create tracking reports of biometric encounters and warns users if a person being checked is on a watch list, Signal Magazine reported.Ī Joint Special Operations Command official and three former US military personnel told The Intercept that the devices were seized during a Taliban offensive last week. HIIDE - Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment - is a portable device that connects with Biometrics Automated Toolset (BAT), identification-processing software used by soldiers to scan for threats, according to a military training presentation. Taliban forces seized US military HIIDE biometric devices that can scan irises, fingers, and faces, which could help them identify Afghans who assisted coalition forces in diplomatic efforts or military operations, current and former military officials told The Intercept. See more stories on Insider's business page. The biometric devices were seized during a Taliban offensive last week, The Intercept reported. US military HIIDE biometric devices can scan irises, fingers, and faces.ĭeployed soldiers used the devices to create tracking reports and check if individuals were on a watch list. To collect and store this data, the US Department of Defense launched its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) in 2004.An American ISAF solider from team Apache of Task Force Geronimo, 4th Platoon Delaware of the United States Army, collects biometric information from an Afghan villager in the village of Mans Kalay in Sabari, Khost district on August 4, 2012. The programme’s initial goal was to keep criminals and Taliban insurgents from infiltrating the army and police force. New Scientist added that the US first established a programme to collect the fingerprints, iris scans and facial images of Afghan national security forces after testing prototypes of the system in 2002. Tips to bypass facial recognition include looking down, wearing things to obscure facial features, or applying many layers of makeup, the guide said, although fingerprint and iris scans were difficult to bypass. The US-based advocacy group quickly published a Farsi-language version of its guide on how to delete digital history - that it had produced last year for activists in Hong Kong - and also put together a manual on how to evade biometrics. “This technology is likely to include access to a database with fingerprints and iris scans, and include facial recognition technology,” the group added. “We understand that the Taliban is now likely to have access to various biometric databases and equipment in Afghanistan,” the Human Rights First group wrote on Twitter on Monday. However, local journalists and activists say the real picture on the ground is quite different, with concerning reports of house searches and arrests by the Taliban.Īfter years of a push to digitize databases in the country, and introduce digital identity cards and biometrics for voting, activists warn these technologies can be used to target and attack vulnerable groups. The extremist group launched a charm offensive in an effort to rehabilitate its hardline image, making big promises of change such as not retaliating against government employees and soldiers and to respect the rights of women. The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan earlier this week after US forces pulled out of the country. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
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