01
CCTV REFERENCE EVIDENCE
18.45 cameras / 1k
90,000 reported cameras in Kabul. Reference-city evidence only; national scope is not inferred.
Open CCTV sourceTHE EVIDENCE STACK
Seven records
Different claims
Every measure has its own source, date, and scope. The country profile keeps them distinct by design.
FACE / BIOMETRIC
Documented active use
Kabul · 2025-02
BBC reporting from Kabul describes an operational CCTV system with an option to track people by facial recognition and display face categories including age and gender.
AI USE SCOPE
Facial identification
2025-02 · High confidence
BBC reporting from Kabul describes a public CCTV system that offers facial-recognition tracking and face-category displays.
Investigative reporting describes an operational public system, but does not fully verify its technical backend or coverage beyond reported sites.
BBC News · Kabul networkPRIVATE-CAMERA LINK
No comparable public evidence located
Pilot evidence review · 2026-08
The reviewed reporting documents central police access to the Kabul CCTV system but does not establish a comparable public–private camera-integration mechanism. This status preserves that distinction.
SAFEGUARDS CONTEXT
11.9 / 100
WJP 2025 Factor 4.6: protection from arbitrary interference with privacy in practice. The score changed -2.5 points from 2024.
Open WJP sourceSUPPLIER / PROCUREMENT
Documented record
Dahua branding observed in the Kabul police control room
CCTV network described as offering facial-recognition and licence-plate tracking options.
Officials did not publish procurement documents; visible branding is a supplier indication, not a verified contract.
BBC — Inside the Taliban's surveillance networkINCIDENTS & REDRESS
Documented allegation
30 Mar 2022 · Afghanistan · biometric and identity systems linked to the former government and foreign donors
Biometric systems after the Taliban takeover
Human Rights Watch documented risks created by Taliban control over systems holding sensitive biometric and personal information, with research describing uncertainty over access to individual systems.
The source documents risk and reported access, not a complete technical audit of all databases or every subsequent use.
Human Rights Watch · research report Open incidents & redressDATA INFRASTRUCTURE & JURISDICTION
Where data may sit, and what can govern it
These are separate contextual records. Data-centre capacity is not evidence of surveillance access; legal powers are not evidence of their use.
CONTEXT, NOT PROOF
Several sources predate the current de facto authorities, so legal and operational status needs further review.
Low confidenceReported national data-centre context
2024
A public directory identifies the Afghanistan National Data Center in Kabul; no national facility count is used.
No comparable general rule located
2026-08
The reviewed jurisdiction guide did not identify a general personal-data localisation rule suitable for a comparable pilot status.
Government cloud policy reported
2017
An ITU presentation describes a G-Cloud direction and national data-centre host; it does not verify current operational scope.
Provider-disclosure powers in statute
2005
The Telecommunications Services Regulation Law contains provider-access provisions; current enforcement may diverge from pre-2021 legal material.
SOURCE HISTORY
When the record changed.
The timeline preserves source vintages and review dates so changes can be examined rather than announced without a record.
- 2024
- 2025-06CCTV evidence source
Kabul: 90,000 reported cameras; 18.45 per 1,000 people in the documented reference place.
Open source - 2025
- 2025-02Facial-recognition record
BBC reporting from Kabul describes an operational CCTV system with an option to track people by facial recognition and display face categories including age and gender.
Open source - 2026-08Camera-integration record
The reviewed reporting documents central police access to the Kabul CCTV system but does not establish a comparable public–private camera-integration mechanism. This status preserves that distinction.
No comparable public source located in this review - 2025-02AI use-scope record
Facial identification · Live public space · Assistive search. BBC reporting from Kabul describes a public CCTV system that offers facial-recognition tracking and face-category displays.
Open source - 2025-02Supplier / procurement record
CCTV network described as offering facial-recognition and licence-plate tracking options.
Open source - 2024Data-infrastructure context
A public directory identifies the Afghanistan National Data Center in Kabul; no national facility count is used.
Open source - 2005Lawful-access context
The Telecommunications Services Regulation Law contains provider-access provisions; current enforcement may diverge from pre-2021 legal material.
Open source - 30 Mar 2022Incident / redress record
Documented allegation: Human Rights Watch documented risks created by Taliban control over systems holding sensitive biometric and personal information, with research describing uncertainty over access to individual systems.
Open source - 2026-08Layer evidence review
Record category: Partial layer record. This version preserves gaps rather than treating them as evidence of absence.
No comparable public source located in this review
REVIEWED PUBLIC UPDATES
Accepted additions and corrections.
Community submissions remain private until an editor checks the source, scope, and status. Only accepted changes appear here.
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