MoD data breach a 'foreseeable' failure that left Afghans in danger, inquiry finds
A parliamentary inquiry has labeled a Ministry of Defence data breach as a foreseeable failure that endangered Afghan applicants to the UK. The incident involved the exposure of personal details for over 18,500 individuals, which was suppressed by a super-injunction until July 2025.
Why it matters
This highlights critical failures in government data protection and accountability, raising concerns about the safety of vulnerable individuals seeking asylum.
Image caption, Britain set up scheme to bring those thought to be the most in danger to safety
A data breach that exposed personal details of thousands of Afghans applying to come to the UK to flee the Taliban was a "foreseeable" failure, a parliamentary inquiry has found.
In a report published on Thursday, the Commons' Defence Committee said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had lacked the expertise to run the UK's Afghan relocation scheme after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban and had used secrecy as a "shield" against proper accountability.
The breach came to light in August 2023 but an unprecedented super-injunction prevented it from being reported on until July 2025.
A MoD spokesperson said the leak "should never have happened" and welcomed the opportunity to learn from the incident.
Man's anger as brother left in Afghanistan after data breach
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in