I'm not defending it but I don't think they are using then as primary keys. Imagine if they did not look at the names or have lists at all, and something happen

I'm not defending it but I don't think they are using then as primary keys. Imagine if they did not look at the names or have lists at all, and something happens involving someone with a name of a known terrorist. People would cry "why doesn't the government have a list, are they too stupid to know how to search databases?"