US Edition
Security Committee Launches Inquiry Into Afghan Data Leak
UNITED KINGDOM, JUL 22 – Nearly 19,000 Afghans exposed by the Ministry of Defence data breach triggered a secret £850 million UK relocation scheme to protect them from Taliban reprisals, officials said.
- The UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee has begun an official inquiry into a 2022 data leak that compromised sensitive information of more than 30,000 applicants involved in the Afghan resettlement program and British personnel.
- The breach occurred after a UK Special Forces official mistakenly emailed a spreadsheet containing extensive personal data during the Taliban takeover, prompting a High Court superinjunction to prevent publication due to security risks.
- The Ministry of Defence acknowledged the breach without offering compensation, expressed support for the inquiry, and government ministers were shocked when briefed on the incident and the injunction last year.
- Lord Beamish, chairman of the ISC, insisted on the prompt disclosure of all intelligence reports as authorized by the committee’s statutory powers, condemning the previous refusal to release documents as unprecedented and obstructive to oversight.
- The inquiry's findings could influence future data protection policies and may increase pressure on the government to provide support for those at risk due to the leak and its fallout.
17 Articles
17 Articles
The MoD’s Afghan data breach shows us who we really are
The Afghan data breach was not an isolated incident. Between 2023 and 2024, there were 569 known cases in which the Ministry of Defence (MoD) failed to keep sensitive information safe: software compromised, devices missing, documents mishandled. On 16 July it was revealed that a UK official had accidentally leaked information on 18,714 Afghan nationals applying for a government relocation scheme for those who had helped the British military. Bef…
How Britain ended up in the Afghan asylum mess
The Afghan data leak has generated a mass of lurid headlines and, no doubt, there is still much analysis, pointing of fingers and assigning of blame to come. But how did it happen that the UK ended up with such an obligation to so many thousands of Afghans and their families? I support the evacuation,
Inquiry into Afghan data leak to be conducted by Parliament’s security watchdog
Lord Beamish said the cross-party group would launch a probe after considering defence assessment documents related to the case. An inquiry into the Afghan data leak that led to an unprecedented legal gagging order and an £850 million secret relocation scheme is set to be carried out by Parliament’s intelligence watchdog. Lord Beamish, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC), said the cross-party group would launc…
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