The UK government initiated a secret Afghan relocation scheme due to a data breach involving nearly 19,000 individuals who sought to relocate after the Taliban's rise. This breach occurred when a British defence official mistakenly released a dataset in February 2022. The Ministry of Defence discovered the breach in August 2023 when details appeared online. The scheme has successfully relocated 4,500 Afghans, with additional costs expected to reach up to £450 million. The breach raised security concerns as it included sensitive personal information of applicants at risk from the Taliban.
The UK government established a secret Afghan relocation scheme after a data breach involving nearly 19,000 applicants following the Taliban takeover. The breach occurred in February 2022.
Following the unauthorized release of personal data by a defence official, a confidential Afghan Response Route was initiated, which has brought 4,500 Afghans to the UK.
Defence Secretary John Healey noted that the serious breach stemmed from a spreadsheet emailed outside of authorized systems and highlighted the ongoing issue of data loss during the evacuation.
The scheme has thus far cost £400 million and is expected to incur an additional £400 million to £450 million, with the leaked data posing risks to many Afghans.
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