The UK government has announced compensation of up to £4,000 for each Afghan national whose personal details were inadvertently exposed in a Ministry of Defence (MoD) data breach in 2021. The payments are intended for 277 individuals, many of whom had worked with British forces and were in hiding from the Taliban when the breach occurred.
The error took place during the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan in September 2021, when the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) team mistakenly revealed recipients’ email addresses in a mass message. The addresses were placed in the visible ‘To’ field instead of being hidden using ‘blind carbon copy’ (Bcc), compromising the identities of Afghans eligible for relocation due to their work with the UK government.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard acknowledged the severity of the incident in a statement on Friday, admitting that he “cannot undo past mistakes” but assuring affected individuals that payments will be processed “as quickly as reasonably practical.”
The government has estimated the total compensation payout to be approximately £1.6 million. This comes in addition to a £350,000 fine the MoD paid after the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) determined the breach had posed a “threat to life.” The fine had originally been set at £1 million but was reduced due to mitigating factors and a revised approach to public sector penalties.
The 2021 breach was the most serious of three that took place in quick succession that September. It involved some of the most vulnerable Afghan nationals, including interpreters and support staff, who were targeted by the Taliban for their association with Western forces.
Sean Humber, a solicitor with Leigh Day representing some of those affected, criticised the government’s announcement for lacking transparency and consultation. “It is not clear what criteria will be used to determine compensation amounts,” he said. “In our client’s case, he and his family spent five terrifying months in hiding in Kabul, fearing for their lives.”
Pollard also pledged to improve data handling and training within the MoD to prevent future incidents.
The announcement comes just days after the government confirmed it is closing the Arap scheme to new applicants. Since its launch, the programme has resettled over 21,000 Afghans in the UK. The decision to wind down the scheme, according to a Home Office paper, reflects a belief that it has “fulfilled its original purpose” and that defence resources must now be refocused on national security threats.
The closure and the compensation announcement mark a turning point in the UK’s post-withdrawal engagement with Afghan allies, though critics argue more needs to be done to ensure justice and safety for those still at risk.
