Afghan data breach was wake-up call' for government's data security

"From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging."

"The Afghan data breach that exposed the details of more than 18,000 people was a wake-up call for the way government handles data, a security minister has told MPs. Dan Jarvis, who oversees hostile threats to the UK as well as cybersecurity and crime in his job as security minister, said on Tuesday that there had been significant change across government to make sure civil servants know how to handle personal data well, and know who is responsible for oversight."

Coverage spans reproductive rights, climate change and Big Tech, including investigation of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC and production of the documentary 'The A Word' about American women fighting for reproductive rights. The outlet emphasizes parsing facts from messaging, operates without paywalls, and relies on donations to fund reporters who can gather on-the-ground reporting and present multiple perspectives. The Afghan data breach exposed details of more than 18,000 people and potentially put up to 100,000 lives at risk, triggering secret relocations after discovery in August 2023. The breach occurred when an MoD official emailed a spreadsheet of 33,000 rows; a superinjunction initially hid the leak. Security minister Dan Jarvis reported significant government changes to improve data handling and oversight.

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