Digitizing citizens' biometric data is a double-edged sword

Assistant professor Toke Møldrup Wolff has written an article in GlobalNyt about the dilemma which the world community is faced with regards to digitalizing citizens' biometric data.

He explains that although the Taliban has publicly stated that the group does not want revenge on the former employees of the international coalition, there are many indications that a manhunt is already underway for what the new regime considers the arch-enemies local allies. This indicates that the Taliban internally possess the necessary technical skills to access the biometric data stored by the HIIDE system, and thus the Taliban have been equipped with a hugely effective weapon that can be used in a systematic purge of unwanted civilians.

He underscores how the case of Afghanistan has made clear the importance of taking into account local conditions before enforcing a digital solution that could potentially expose citizens to an unnecessarily high threat and, in the same vein, compromise a number of other global goals and stabilization processes.

Read the article, in Danish here