A second leak of personal data was reportedly committed by the Ministry of Defence, raising further questions about the ministry’s commitment to the safety of people in Afghanistan, some of whom are its own former employees.
The BBC reported overnight that the details of a further 55 Afghans – claimed to be candidates for potential relocation – had been leaked through the classic cc-instead-of-bcc email blunder, echoing the previously reported breach of 250 Afghan interpreters’ data through a similar failure.
An MoD spokeswoman said in a statement: “We have been made aware of a data breach that occurred earlier this month by the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (Arap) team. This week, the defence secretary instigated an investigation into data-handling within that team.”
A defence official has reportedly been suspended from duty, following demands from defence secretary Ben Wallace for an immediate enquiry into how the blunder happened.
After the US-led military coalition left Afghanistan, a number of local civilians employed as translators were left behind as the Taliban re-established control over the country. Some of those civilians have since been murdered for their perceived support of the Western militaries.
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Source: Ministry of Defence: Another huge Afghanistan email blunder • The Register
Robin Edgar
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