Identity Dominance: The U.S. Military’s Biometric War in Afghanistan

April 23, 2014 7:09 PM

As part of its effort to combat insurgent forces interspersed within an indigenous population, the use of biometrics has become a central component of the U.S. war effort. Having expanded heavily since its introduction during the war in Iraq, biometric identification and tracking of individuals has become a core mission in Afghanistan with initiatives sponsored by the U.S. and Afghan governments seeking to obtain the biometric identifiers of nearly everyone in the country.

Previously in biometrics

posted by gorbweaver (4 comments total)

None of it really worked though. As evidence I cite the continued existence of the insurgency.
posted by humanfont at 8:35 PM on April 23, 2014

Its a small scale beta test
posted by Fupped Duck at 8:57 PM on April 23, 2014

Good to see biometrics as the supply-side danger and menace it really is, rather than a demand-side solution to identity.
posted by Brian B. at 9:13 PM on April 23, 2014

Coming soon to an absolutely-not-a-police-state near you. Have you had your children fingerprinted yet?
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:20 AM on April 24, 2014 [1 favorite]