August 23, 2021

The news site The Intercept revealed that military officials told the media outlet that some Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment (HIIDE) devices used to identify contractors and locals working with the U.S. military fell into the hands of the Taliban.

This news comes as a United Nations document noted that the Taliban is stepping up its hunt for people who have worked for and collaborated with NATO and U.S. forces.

A recent revelation shows that the vast amounts of biometric data gathered by both the U.S. military and the Afghan government pose a risk and could lead the Taliban to their goal.

Still, many argued that the Taliban could not solve the mystery behind the use of the devices, even though they had access to them.

Peter Kiernan, a member of the U.S. think tank The Truman National Security Project, argued that it was uncertain whether the Taliban would have the technical know-how to exploit the HIIDE devices.

Likewise, journalist and author Annie Jacobsen, who researches military biometrics, noted that it remains unlikely that the Taliban will be able to access large amounts of data collected by the U.S. military and the Afghan government, stressing that no data has been shared en masse with Afghan partners in case “some corrupt officials” decide to eliminate potential criminals.

For more information, read the original story on the BBC.