- US
military HIIDEbiometric devices can scan irises, fingers, and faces. - Deployed soldiers used the devices to create tracking reports and check if individuals were on a watch list.
- The biometric devices were seized during a
Taliban offensive last week, The Intercept reported.
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.
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.
HIIDE can create tracking reports of biometric encounters and warns users if a person being checked is on a watch list, Signal Magazine reported.
A 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.
If the Taliban have not already accessed the data, an Army Special Operations veteran said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISS), Pakistan's spy agency that has a history of working closely with the Taliban, may provide them with the tools to do so, The Intercept reported.
Many Afghans who were not evacuated are racing to erase their past online activity as the Taliban assumes control. Although one anonymous woman who worked for the Afghan government burned every document tying her to her former employment, she still worries that biometric data she gave when she was hired will be used by the Taliban to track her down, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Insider has contacted the Department of Defense for comment.