MOD data breach linked to deaths of 49 Afghans, new academic research finds
Forty-nine Afghans reported that a colleague or family member has been killed as a direct result of the Ministry of Defence data breach, new research has revealed.
The study surveyed 350 Afghans, including 231 who were officially notified by the MOD that their data had been compromised.
It comes after a group of newspapers reported the accidental leak of a document containing the details of roughly 19,000 Afghans seeking safety in the UK earlier in the year, following the Taliban takeover in 2021, after the lifting of a superinjunction preventing the disclosure of the breach.
The research, run by Refugee Legal Support together with Professor Sara de Jong from the University of York and Lancaster University's Professor Victoria Canning, also found that 89% (207) said that the data breach had significantly affected their physical and mental health.
"Not only did the Ministry of Defence leave Afghan applicants for UK settlement in the dark about the breach of their data for almost two years, once affected Afghans were informed in July 2025 [that] there was no central point for them to report threats and concerns," Prof de Jong said.
"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."
The findings, which have been published as written evidence by the House of Commons Defence Select Committee as part of the Afghan Data Breach and Resettlement Schemes Inquiry, show that Afghans affected by the breach are still at direct and ongoing risk of harm.
Of the 231 respondents to the survey who had been notified of the leak by the MOD, close to nine in 10 (200) reported that they were experiencing personal risks and/or threats to their family members, which ranged from house searches to extreme violence.
And 63% (146) said that they felt it took too long before they were informed of the data breach.
Prof Canning 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."
Prof Canning urged the Government to respond to ensure Afghans remain safe, including by expediting relocations.
The full report, called I Am Not a Case Number, I am a Human Being: The Lived Impacts of the Ministry of Defence Data Leak, will be released in November.
An MOD spokesperson said: "The independent Rimmer Review, conducted based on existing assessments, expertise and reflections from current Afghanistan work, focused on those most able to provide a high level of insight into the current situation as of spring 2025, concluded that it is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted."
Defence Select Committee unveils next steps in Afghan data breach inquiry
Public evidence sessions will start next week at the inquiry, with some of the journalists who were subject to the superinjunction going before the committee first.
The early sessions of the inquiry are likely to focus on the impact of the data breach on Afghans and others, the use of the superinjunction and the Government's resettlement policy.
The committee revealed that it had obtained a classified submission from the MOD. A publishable version of the department's evidence has been promised in due course.
"I would like to thank all those who have contributed written evidence to this inquiry," Defence Select Committee chair Tan Dhesi said.
"We recognise the difficult lived experience that much of the evidence describes and appreciate the effort involved in preparing it."
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