US Military Creating Database of Iraqi Citizens

USA Today features an article today about the US military's latest project in Iraq - to build a database on Iraqis.

The article reports that:

The U.S. military is taking fingerprints and eye scans from thousands of Iraqi men and building an unprecedented database that helps track suspected militants.

U.S. troops are stopping Iraqis at checkpoints, workplaces and sites where attacks have recently occurred, and inputting their personal data using handheld scanners or specially equipped laptops. In several neighborhoods in and around Baghdad, troops have gone door to door collecting data.

Can one imagine how much uproar there would be in the US or European countries if such a system was implemented.

From 5,000 to 10,000 Baghdad residents have been scanned since March, said Capt. Curtis Kellogg, a military spokesman. Military units in Baghdad are starting to give ID cards to police and security workers.

In the US, The Real ID Act signed by President Bush in 2005 comes close to what the US military has started in Iraq. It requires a national standard for state-issued driver's licenses and non-driver's identification cards. to track individuals who may be "terrorists." The Real ID Act does not impact most American citizens (except that our government is creating a national database of its citizens - which for privacy advocates is of great concern).

The impact on immigrants, migrant workers and undocumented individuals however has been extremely treacherous. From mass arrests to long detentions in federal prisons to swift deportations without any appeal system, the most vulnerable members of our communities are being impacted each and every day.

What is ironic about the systematic collection of bio-metric data of Iraqi citizens is that the US military is justifying its practice by arguing that "virtually nobody refuses." To any semi-intelligent person this reaction is justified for two reasons:

1) A massive foreign military operation is taking place in your own backyard - also known as - the American occupation of Iraq.
2) Under Saddam Hussein's regime, no one was immune to the massive national security system implemented by the Baath party.

So what is the cost of this operation (soon to be expanded outside of Baghdad to the rest of the country):

"This year, U.S. troops in Iraq are to receive 3,800 handheld scanners, up from 200 now in use, to equip every squad in the country... The devices can both collect and display data, letting troops view someone's background and decide whether he should be detained."

"Each handheld scanner costs $6,500 and can store records of up to 10,000 people. Information is downloaded from the scanners and forwarded to a central database..."

According to the article, "the program recently expanded to the Baghdad area after beginning in 2004 in Anbar province. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis there submitted fingerprint and iris scans — also known as biometric data — and were given ID cards to present at checkpoints."

5,000 to 10,000 Baghdad residents have been scanned since March.

"If we see some guy at the site of a blast or a shooting, we put him in the database," said Capt. John Henry Moltz of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. "If we find he's at every blast, now we've got probable cause to question him."

Wonderful! Let's keep that in mind next time we're fighting against a new National Rifle Association initiative to increase the access to guns and other weapons to both US and non-US citizens.