New research reveals human cost of Ministry of Defence Afghan data leak

Posted on Wednesday 29 October 2025

The findings, which have been published as Written Evidence by the House of Commons Defence Select Committee as part of their Afghan Data Breach and Resettlement Schemes Inquiry, show that Afghans affected by the breach are at a direct and ongoing risk of harm.

The study was conducted by Refugee Legal Support in collaboration with Professor Sara de Jong, from York's Department of Politics and International Relations, and Professor Victoria Canning of Lancaster University. It surveyed 350 Afghans, including 231 who were officially notified by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that their data had been compromised in a February 2022 breach.

First evidence

The survey, conducted in Dari, Pashto, and English, provides the first detailed evidence of the lived impacts of the breach on Afghans still in Afghanistan, in third countries, and in the UK.

Of the 231 respondents who had been notified of the leak by the MoD:

• 49 reported that a colleague or a family member had been killed as a direct result of the data breach.

• 200 (87%) reported experiencing personal risks and/or threats to their family members. These ranged from house searches to extreme violence.

• 207 (89%) reported significant negative impacts on their own physical and/or mental health.

• 146 (63%) who had been informed by the MoD in July 2025 that their data had likely been compromised in 2023 felt that it took too long before they were informed of the data breach.

In the dark

The data breach in February 2022 involved the details of nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power. The previous government became aware of the leak in August 2023, but affected individuals were not notified until July 2025.

Professor de Jong said: "Not only did the Ministry of Defence leave Afghan applicants for UK resettlement in the dark about the breach of their data for almost two years, once affected Afghans were informed in July 2025 there was no central contact point for them to report threats and concerns.

"Our survey is the first comprehensive effort to capture the impact of the data breach on affected Afghans who have worked in various capacities to support the UK mission in Afghanistan."

Devastating toll

Professor Victoria Canning from Lancaster University, added: “By centralising the experiences of Afghans, our research shows the real human cost of the MoD data breach. As well as threats to life, killings and house raids, the mental health toll on affected Afghans and their families is devastating. Many people remain in serious danger. The UK government needs to respond urgently to ensure safety, including expediting relocations and ensuring redress.”

The full report is entitled “I am not a case number, I am a human being”: the lived impacts of the Ministry of Defence data leak and will be released in November.