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An informant has told a parliamentary probe that the UK failed to secure sensitive devices permitting Afghanistan's rulers to identify local individuals that had served with international military.

Data Breach Puts Numerous in Danger

The whistleblower, identified as Person A, stated that Afghans affected by the data leak were advised to relocate and change their phone numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban.

Members of Parliament are currently examining the UK government's handling of a massive leak of confidential data affecting approximately 19k individuals who had asked to relocate to the United Kingdom to flee the Taliban.

How the Leak Was Discovered

A spreadsheet including confidential details, including names, phone numbers and occasionally relative details, was inadvertently disclosed by a staff member employed at UK special forces headquarters in early 2022.

The breach came to light in late 2023, when identities of nine people who had requested to move to Britain surfaced on Facebook.

Regime's Resources

Many believe there's this misconception that Afghan rulers lack comparable resources that we have,” she told MPs.

All equipment was abandoned in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire mobile details, they are able to track your exact position. That is what intelligence groups did.”

During testimony about whether the Taliban possessed sophisticated technology, the whistleblower declared: “They possess all resources.”

Consequences of the Security Lapse

Initial findings provided to the committee indicated that at least 49 family members and colleagues of individuals impacted by the leak had been murdered.

A superinjunction concerning the breach was enacted in late 2023 and blocked any information about it from media reporting until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Due to legal constraints, the source and the aid group she was working with told affected households they were working with that they had “suspicions that mobile communications had been compromised”.

“Our suggestion was that they relocate where feasible and altered their phone numbers. That constituted the crucial data that, should militant forces obtained these details, would lead to them being traced,” she said.

Contested Findings

The whistleblower disputed that internal investigation performed by a retired civil servant had been incorrect to conclude that the obtaining of the records by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change present danger”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are not confronting militant forces; they remain concealed. Everything boils down to past work history.”

She detailed terrible treatment suffered by affected individuals, comprising electric shock torture, interrogation techniques, and violent assaults.

“There are cases of young kids who have had their arms broken to force the family to say where someone is,” the whistleblower revealed.