Alarming new data reveals extensive UK security failures. The Ministry of Defence admitted to forty-nine separate data breaches. These Afghan data breaches occurred over the past four years. They happened within the unit processing Afghan relocation applications. Consequently, it raises serious concerns about systemic safety issues.
Therefore, the most severe breach happened in February 2022. A spreadsheet contained details of nearly nineteen thousand people. The UK government initially secured a gagging order.
Furthermore, Lawyers for affected Afghans are now expressing deep concern. They argue this is not a one-off error. Instead, it indicates a culture of lax data security. The MoD has refused to detail each specific breach. However, past incidents include revealing email addresses to third parties. These Afghan data breaches potentially endanger lives.
Moreover, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) aimed to help at-risk individuals. It assisted those who worked with British forces. The scheme is now closed. Sadly, it was consistently plagued by security problems. For example, in September 2021, over 250 applicants were mistakenly copied into an email. This put them at direct risk of Taliban reprisals.
In addition, the then-defence secretary, Ben Wallace, was reportedly furious. His department introduced new data handling procedures. They enacted a “two pairs of eyes” rule for external emails. Despite these measures, the breaches continued relentlessly. The newly uncovered scale of these Afghan data breaches is astonishing.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was notified of seven serious breaches. The ICO states its engagement with the MoD is ongoing. However, it allocated no further resources to the largest breach.
The current Labour government blames previous Conservative administrations. A source cited Tory mismanagement of the ARAP scheme. They claim to have introduced new software and security measures. Conversely, the Conservative Party called the leak unacceptable. They stated protecting individuals in the dataset was the immediate priority.
Ultimately, these failures have real-world consequences. The MoD says it takes data security extremely seriously. Yet, forty-nine breaches tell a very different story. Affected Afghans deserve transparency and accountability.
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