First Published 17 July 2025
Following the recent Ministry of Defence Data Breach, we have answered some key questions below:
What has happened?
- A staff member at the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) emailed a spreadsheet to the wrong recipients.
- The spreadsheet contained personal information of approximately 18,700 Afghans (and their families).
- The email was sent in error in February 2022.
- The MOD did not know about this until 14 August 2023 when parts of the data were posted on Facebook.
Why are we finding out about this now?
- The MOD applied for a ‘superinjunction’ which meant the media could not report on the data leak or the existence of the injunction.
- The superinjunction was granted by the High Court on 1 September 2023. Therefore, the public did not know that the data breach had happened at the time.
- The Government secretly created the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) scheme to resettle some Afghans in the UK considered at high risk because of the data leak. The scheme has now closed.
- On Tuesday 15 July, the High Court lifted the ‘superinjunction’.
Whose details were involved in the data breach?
- People who had applied for relocation to the UK between August 2021 – 7 January 2022 (and their families).
- These individuals had applied for relocation under the UK Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme.
- In many cases, they worked for the British military or embassies in Afghanistan.
Who can bring a claim?
- Potentially anyone whose data has been involved in the data breach, whether or not they have been resettled in the UK.
- A claim can cover an individual and all of their affected family members.
- The claim can include general damages for distress and/or psychological or physical injury resulting from the data breach.
- The claim can also include any specific costs arising from the breach, such as the costs of relocation or additional security measures.
How can we help?
- If you think you have been affected by the MOD data breach, please contact our Media and Information Law team to discuss.