Parliament Launches Inquiry into Massive MoD Data Breach Exposing Afghans and UK Personnel

A major inquiry has been launched by the UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) following revelations of a large-scale data breach at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that compromised the identities of thousands of Afghans and British military officials.

The breach, which occurred in February 2022, involved a spreadsheet containing over 30,000 sensitive resettlement applications being mistakenly sent to an unauthorised individual by a staff member at UK Special Forces headquarters in London. The file, intended to share information on just 150 individuals, contained the personal details of thousands of Afghans who had worked with British forces during the Afghanistan conflict.

Delayed Discovery and Super-Injunction Controversy

Shockingly, the breach went undetected for over a year. It only came to light in August 2023 when a man in Afghanistan posted the names of nine individuals on Facebook, hinting he had access to more data. UK government sources described the situation as “essentially blackmail.”

In response to the serious threat posed to those identified—many of whom were at risk of Taliban retaliation—the government applied for and was granted a super-injunction by the High Court in September 2023. This order not only prevented public discussion of the case but also forbade even acknowledging that the gagging order existed. The super-injunction was lifted only recently, finally allowing the incident to enter the public domain.

ISC Demands Full Transparency

The ISC, which oversees the UK’s intelligence agencies including MI5, MI6, and GCHQ, was not briefed on the breach until just last week—an omission that committee chairman Lord Beamish has called unacceptable.

In a statement, Lord Beamish announced that the ISC will “conduct an inquiry into the intelligence community’s role and activity in connection with the loss of data.” He demanded that all intelligence documents related to the breach be made available “immediately” to the committee.

He also raised constitutional concerns about how the government had handled the issue, particularly the decision to block oversight through the use of the super-injunction. Under the Justice and Security Act 2013, classified material cannot be withheld from the ISC solely based on security status.

MoD Response and Accountability Promises

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence welcomed the investigation, stating:

“We recognise the urgent need to understand how these significant failures happened and ensure there’s proper accountability for the previous government’s handling of this matter.”

The Defence Secretary has ordered full cooperation with the ISC and other parliamentary inquiries. If current ministers and officials are called upon, they are expected to testify and provide full transparency.

Impact on Afghans and UK’s Emergency Response

The leak endangered nearly 19,000 Afghans, many of whom had worked as interpreters, guides, and local staff during the British mission in Afghanistan. The government launched the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) to secretly relocate some of those affected to the UK. So far, the operation has resettled around 7,000 individuals, with the final cost estimated at £850 million.

No Compensation Promised

Despite the scale and seriousness of the breach, the MoD has stated it will not proactively offer compensation to those impacted. Legal claims are expected, but a spokesperson confirmed the government would “robustly defend” any litigation, calling current claims hypothetical at this stage.

FAQs

Q1: What happened in the MoD data breach?
A spreadsheet with over 30,000 sensitive records of Afghans and British officials was mistakenly emailed outside the government in February 2022.

Q2: Why did it take so long to uncover?
The breach went unnoticed for more than a year. It surfaced only when a Facebook post in August 2023 exposed some of the names.

Q3: What is a super-injunction?
A super-injunction prevents media from reporting not only the details of a case but also the existence of the injunction itself.

Q4: Who is conducting the investigation?
The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), which monitors UK intelligence agencies, is leading the inquiry.

Q5: Will victims receive compensation?
At present, the MoD has no plans to offer compensation but says it will defend any legal action that may arise.