Thousands of Afghans who had their personal details leaked but did not get evacuated to the UK will not receive compensation, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The leak exposed the names and details of over 19,000 people, causing fear among many Afghans.
The MoD has stated that it will defend against any legal action or compensation claims, calling them “hypothetical”. The government has also decided not to offer small payouts to those whose lives were put in danger due to the leak. An independent review found that it is unlikely that being on the spreadsheet would lead to retribution.
The largest lawsuit is being prepared by a firm representing over 1,000 Afghan clients. However, it’s unclear how many of these clients are currently in Afghanistan. The data breach occurred when an official emailed a spreadsheet outside of the government team processing relocation applications and made its way into the public domain.
A victim of the leak, who worked for the British military in Afghanistan, expressed his frustration, stating that compensation would not make up for the situation. He called on the government to swiftly take action and bring his family members to Britain or a third country where they feel safe.
The UK has spent £400m on relocating Afghans since international troops withdrew from the country. However, the estimated cost of relocation is now expected to rise to around £5.5-£6bn.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20pd5035vyo