UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Ministry of Defence to deny payouts after leak of 18,714 Afghan applicants’ data, claiming minimal risk; thousands may miss out on compensation.
As reported by The Independent, a UK data breach has put thousands of Afghans fleeing the Taliban at risk, yet most are unlikely to receive compensation for the leak of their personal information.
What did the Ministry of Defence say about the Afghan data leak?
The Ministry of Defence has announced it will strongly challenge any legal compensation claims, arguing there is minimal evidence that those named in the leaked list were targeted by the Taliban.
They cited an independent review stating there is now little risk that those named in the leaked data would be targeted by the Taliban.
They added,
“We will do everything possible to defend against any compensation claims. We have taken appropriate action in line with the level of risk these individuals faced. Any claims we do get, we will fight them hard.”
The MoD says it has no plans to voluntarily offer minor payouts to those affected by the data breach.
How did a UK data breach expose 100,000 Afghans to Taliban risk?
A 2022 data breach exposed the identities of 18,714 Afghans who had applied for Britain’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, raising serious security concerns.
The data leak exposed tens of thousands of Afghans to danger, triggered a multibillion-pound burden on public finances, and led to a two-year legal cover-up through a superinjunction.
In response, a secret programme known as the Afghanistan Response Route was established to help relocate affected individuals to the UK.
The High Court heard this week that a Manchester law firm is handling hundreds of potential claims related to the breach, with more expected to follow.
In earlier cases, the MoD offered compensation after similar Afghan data breaches revealed personal details.
What did Luke Pollard say about the Afghan data leak compensation?
Before reporting restrictions on the 2022 leak were lifted, Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard confirmed £1.6 million in compensation for Afghan nationals affected by an earlier data breach.
According to him, the MoD agreed to offer up to £4,000 to each of the 265 individuals whose information was wrongly shared in a government email error in 2021.
How a UK data leak exposed MI6 staff and cost £850m?
The data leak resulted in a £350,000 fine from the Information Commissioner’s Office for the government’s mishandling of sensitive data.
The ICO has decided not to take further action over the larger 2022 breach. Commissioner John Edwards said the MoD was already under intense public scrutiny, leaving “little we could add in this case.”
Under the ARR scheme, Britain is set to relocate 6,900 individuals, with estimated costs reaching £850 million. The breach revealed information relating to over 100 British officials, including elite MI6 and intelligence personnel.
Data breaches in 2023-2024
The MoD reported 569 internal security breaches in 2023–24, up from 550 the year before. These included lost laptops, phones, and failure to properly destroy secret files.
A 2023 cyberattack targeted a system run by a third-party contractor. It exposed personal data of 272,000 MoD staff, including names and bank details.
Adnan Malik’s views on the MoD data breach
Adnan Malik, chair of data protection at Barings Law, stated,
“This is an incredibly serious data breach, which the MoD has repeatedly tried to hide from the British public.”
He said,
“It involved the loss of personal and identifying information about Afghan nationals who have helped British forces to defeat terrorism and support security and stability in the region.”
Mr Malik added,
“Through its careless handling of such sensitive information, the MoD has put multiple lives at risk, damaged its own reputation, and put the success of future operations in jeopardy by eroding trust in its data security measures.”
What did Sean Humber say about Afghan leak victims?
Sean Humber, a data breach lawyer, stated,
“We are acting for clients affected by the data breach who remain in Afghanistan and others who are now in the UK.”
He said,
“The priority must be ensuring the safety of those affected by the data breach who remain in Afghanistan.”
Mr Humber added,
“The level of compensation is likely to be in the thousands, although the exact amount is likely to vary and will probably be higher for those remaining in Afghanistan compared to those that have successfully relocated to the UK.”