Afghans scramble to delete digital history, After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, thousands of people now have to worry about more than just their physical safety. They also have to worry about how biometric databases and their own digital history can be used against them.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning of a “chilling” trend of human rights violations against women and girls, and Amnesty International says thousands of Afghans are at risk from Taliban reprisals. Activists warn that after years of efforts to digitize databases and introduce digital identity cards and biometrics for voting, these technologies could be used to target vulnerable groups.
Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics
The Human Rights First group warned on Monday that Taliban forces in Afghanistan are now likely to have access to extensive biometric information, including fingerprints and iris scans.
“This technology is likely to include access to a database with fingerprints and iris scans, and include facial recognition technology,” the group added.
The American group, based in the United States, quickly published a Farsi-language version of its guide on how to delete digital history – one it had produced last year for activists in Hong Kong. Additionally, they compiled a manual on how to elude biometrics which included suggestions such as looking down, wearing things to block facial features, or applying many layers of makeup to circumvent face recognition. fingerprint and iris scans appeared difficult to break through according their findings..
“With the data, it is much more difficult to hide, obfuscate your and your family’s identities, and the data can also be used to flesh out your contacts and network,” said Welton Chang, chief technology officer at Human Rights First.
According to him, the data could also be used “to create a new class structure – job applicants would have their bio-data compared to the database, and jobs could be denied on the basis of having connections to the former government or security forces.” The most concerning application of this technology would be targeting anyone who was involved in the previous government, worked for an international non-profit, or was defend human rights defender.
DOOR TO DOOR
The Taliban has been using government biometric systems for years in order to target members of the security forces. This past Monday, hours after the militants took over Kabul, it is believed that they began checking fingerprints against a database.
Taliban troops began a door-to-door hunt for government employees, former security personnel, and people who worked for international non-profit organizations, according to Mustafa, a Twitter user. Journalists’ homes were also searched, he added.
A Kabul resident stated that she had heard from others about the house-to-house inspections the Islamist militants were conducting, using a “biometrics machine”. In assuring its citizens of their safety, the Taliban said in a public statement that it would protect its people’s lives, houses, and belongings, as well as create a peaceful environment for all.
However, digital rights groups are receiving “quite a few” requests from civil society organizations and activists to secure their digital presence already, according to Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia Pacific policy director at Access Now.
“We are also very concerned about aid agencies’ databases and other organizations’, as well as alarmed that there is no clarity regarding whether mitigation measures are being taken to erase or delete data that may be used to target individuals,” he continued. The digital identity cards, known as tazkira, might identify particular ethnic groups; meanwhile, even telecom providers have a “wealth of information” that can be used to track and target people.
“Although the U.S. forces and its allies were likely responsible for originate design of these data systems, as well as helping with implementation,” said Chang, “the buck stop with the Afghan government when it comes to keeping these systems secure.” He went on to say that, “It’s probable that not enough deliberate planning was done initially when creating and maintaining these system in regards to assessing risks and preventing misuse.”
In the meantime, Afghans were frantically cleaning their digital profiles. Boys and men “were going through phones to delete messages they have sent, the music they’ve listened to & pictures they’ve taken,” BBC reporter Sana Safi stated on Twitter this past Sunday.