KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The UK government has announced it will pay £1.6 million in compensation to 265 Afghan nationals whose personal information was accidentally leaked by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The breach, as reported by The Telegraph, occurred in September 2021. It exposed the names, email addresses, and, in some cases, profile photos of Afghans who had worked with the British government and were trying to flee the Taliban.
The email was sent by the team behind the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and was visible to all recipients.
In December 2023, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office fined the MoD £350,000, warning that the data leak posed a potential “threat to life” if accessed by the Taliban.
BBC reports that Defence Minister Luke Pollard told Parliament that each affected individual would receive up to £4,000. He said while the ministry could not undo its mistakes, it would issue payments “as quickly as reasonably practical.”
Pollard also promised reforms in data handling and staff training at the ministry to prevent future breaches.
However, while legal firms and advocates have welcomed the compensation, some argue that the amount does not adequately address the trauma and risks faced by those affected, many of whom continue to live in precarious and dangerous conditions.
“In our client’s case, he and his family spent five very scared months in hiding in Kabul, concerned that the Taliban were now aware that he had assisted UK forces and were looking for him,” Sean Humber of the Leigh Day law firm, told the BBC.
Humber added that they would “critically review” whether the compensation offered adequately reflects the distress their client endured.
