Information of 25,000 Afghans Leaked Due to Service Member's Mistake
Resolving the Chaos Expected to Cost at Least 10 Trillion Won
It has been revealed that the personal information of Afghans who hoped to relocate to the United Kingdom after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan was leaked due to a mistake by a UK Ministry of Defence official. On the 16th, Yonhap News, citing the Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times (FT), reported on the email leak case that was made public after a court lifted a publication ban the previous day.
The incident occurred around February 2022, when a Royal Marine mistakenly sent a spreadsheet file containing information on 25,000 Afghans via email. The file included details of approximately 19,000 Afghans who had applied to move to the UK out of fear of Taliban reprisals after the withdrawal of US and UK forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s subsequent takeover, as well as information on 6,000 of their family members.
The service member, whose name has not been disclosed, was working at the London headquarters under the command of General Gwyn Jenkins, who led the UK Special Forces stationed in Afghanistan, and was responsible for verifying the identities of asylum applicants. He had been instructed to confirm individuals who had actually cooperated with the British military. Instead of sending a partial list, he sent the entire file containing all applicant information to an external recipient via email. The recipient was reported to be Afghan, but their exact identity was not disclosed.
The UK government estimated earlier this year that the cost of resolving this confusion would reach 7 billion pounds (13 trillion won). However, recent estimates have dropped to between 5.5 and 6 billion pounds (10.2 trillion to 11.2 trillion won). The Telegraph pointed out that this misdirected email could be “the most expensive email in history.” It remains unknown whether any disciplinary action has been taken against the service member who sent the email.
The Ministry of Defence only became aware of the leak in August 2023, 18 months after the incident, when a resident sent an email to their local Member of Parliament and the Deputy Defence Minister warning that the spreadsheet file was circulating online. The government belatedly began investigating and addressing the situation, but as media coverage intensified, it filed for an injunction to prohibit publication, citing security concerns. Subsequently, on September 1, 2023, the court issued an even stronger confidentiality order, restricting the disclosure not only of the existence of the incident but also of any related facts.
However, on July 15, the UK High Court lifted the publication ban, stating that confidentiality was restricting freedom of expression and the press. As a result, the full details of the leak have been made public for the first time. The UK government is operating a confidential relocation program to protect the main victims, and so far, 6,900 people have either relocated to the UK or are due to arrive soon. Including those who settled through other routes, the total reaches 18,500. At least 665 Afghans named in the leaked list are preparing lawsuits against the Ministry of Defence, each seeking 50,000 pounds (93 million won) in damages, and according to the FT, thousands more may join the lawsuits, potentially resulting in a massive bill for the UK government.
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