The UK will not compensate thousands of Afghans for a data breach.

 

Following the leak, thousands of Afghans may face Taliban retaliation. Thousands of Afghans whose personal details were leaked but who were not evacuated to Britain are not expected to receive any compensation.

 A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) told the BBC that the claims were "hypothetical," and that the MoD would "robustly defend against any legal action or compensation." According to the Times, the Ministry of Defense will also not actively offer small compensation to individuals whose lives were in danger as a result of the leak in February 2022. Over 19,000 people's names and information were leaked, and many Afghans now say they fear the Taliban will retaliate. ADVERTISING

 "It is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted," a Defense Secretary John Healey-commissioned independent review, known as the Rimmer review, concluded, according to the spokesperson. Healey made the announcement this week that the super-injunction that made it illegal to talk about the court order or talk about the leak was being lifted. That occurred after the Rimmer review was finished, which came to the following conclusion: "There is little evidence of intent by the Taliban to conduct a campaign of retribution against former officials." According to The Times, Barings Law, a firm with more than 1,000 Afghan clients, is working on the largest lawsuit. How many of those clients are currently in Afghanistan is unknown. The leak occurred when an unnamed official emailed the spreadsheet outside of the government team processing Afghan relocation applications and it made its way into the public domain.

 When the names of nine people who had applied to move to the UK appeared on Facebook in August 2023, little was known about the leak. Due to its violations of human rights, particularly those that target women, the Taliban leadership continues to be isolated from the rest of the world. The British embassy in Kabul has remained close ever since the Taliban took control in 2021, and Russia is the only country that recognizes the current government in Afghanistan. What we know so far about the data breach in Afghanistan Following the leak of UK data, Afghans express concern for their loved ones' safety. The names were shared on Facebook by an Afghan man who had been turned down for relocation. The BBC reported last week that he was offered an expedited review of his application in exchange for taking it down. In the same data breach, more than 100 British officials, including members of MI6 and the special forces, were hacked. Over 36,000 Afghans have relocated to the UK since international troops left Afghanistan. The Ministry of Defence confirmed to the BBC that more than 16,000 of those people were deemed to be at risk as a result of the leak. The plan to move Afghans has cost £400 million so far from the government. However, the government estimates that relocating all Afghans will increase the total cost to £5.5-£6 billion.