Identity

Noah Shachtman in Wired's Danger Room: "In Afghanistan, local and NATO forces are amassing biometric dossiers on hundreds of thousands of cops, crooks, soldiers, insurgents and ordinary citizens. And now, with NATO’s backing, the Kabul government is putting together a plan to issue biometrically backed identification cards to 1.65 million Afghans by next May."

One Army biometrics manager admitted in the article that such databases become "hit lists" if they fall into the wrong hands. 

The biometrics of an Afghanistan National Police officer from the Kuh-e Safi district are added to the national database with a  handheld monitor.  The system uses fingerprints, iris imaging and facial recognition technology. 

 (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia and US Army Spc. William E. Henry, Task Force Cyclon Public Affairs)