Britain leaks the data of hundreds of interpreters and puts their lives in danger

by time news

The fallout from the chaotic withdrawal of Westerners from Afghanistan is not over. The Afghan interpreters who should have been refugees in Great Britain are in danger and have probably already had to move to try to save your life. An investigation has been opened into a data breach, related to email addresses of dozens of Afghan interpreters working for British troops.

The British Ministry of Defense has been charged with “Put lives at risk”, after more than 250 Afghans who had sought refuge in the UK, many of whom are in hiding out of fear for their lives in Afghanistan, were mistakenly copied in an email.

All email addresses are visible to those who have sent them from the Ministry of Defense. The email asked those seeking relocation weekly updates on their situation, saying they would not be calling them on the phone due to concerns that it could put them at risk. Some of the email addresses they had pictures attached.

A human error

Ben Wallace, the Secretary of Defense, described the rape as “unacceptable”. Defense Ministry officials were said to be “appalled at the mistake”, which was attributed to human error.

Wallace said a member of the Defense Ministry staff he had been “suspended pending an investigation.”

British troops leave Afghanistan. Photo: AP file)

“I was informed at 8:00 pm last night that there had been a significant data breach. To say that he was angry about this was an understatement and I immediately ordered that the investigations be carried out, ”the secretary of state told deputies.

Initial findings show that an email was sent at 5:44 pm as part of a weekly contact we maintain with ARAP (Afghan Assistance and Relocation Policy) which currently remains in Afghanistan. This was copied to all applicants instead of copying them blindly, ”he explained.

“The email was immediately withdrawn upon identifying the violation. A subsequent email was then sent out, advising people to delete their email and they will change their addresses, many of which have done so ”, he clarified.

“So far, one person has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation and the processes for handling data and processing correspondence have already been changed.” announced the minister.

Dumb with fury

A veteran who has been helping Afghan interpreters said he was “speechless with fury that someone from the Defense Ministry sent an informed email several hundred staff members of the Arap, potentially compromising everyone on the list. “He said they were” putting the lives of people with this type of ineptitude at risk. “

A spokeswoman for the Defense Ministry stated: “An investigation has been launched into a leak of information from the Arap team. We apologize to everyone affected by this violation. We are working hard to make sure that not happen again“.

The email, sent on Monday, said the UK was “doing its best to relocate them as safely as possible“.

The chaotic scenes in the days leading up to the Westerners' departure at Kabul airport.  Photo: AP

The chaotic scenes in the days leading up to the Westerners’ departure at Kabul airport. Photo: AP

“We understand that staying in touch with us can be extremely difficult and, in some circumstances, puts you at risk. That is why we will not call you by phone at the moment,” they said.

Jamal Barak, a former Coventry-based interpreter whose family is trying to reach Britain from Afghanistan, was one of those who sent the email. “Instead of trying to save someone’s life, they are putting them at greater risk,” he warned.

He fears that the data breach could make the Taliban get access to all emails. “They are clearly detaining people and checking their phones and looking for information,” he added.

He said his family, who were traveling to Islamabad after being told they were eligible for the sanctuary, had received little help from the British Ministry of Defense.

After sending the email, the department attempted to retrieve it. He advised Afghans to change their email addresses, saying they “may have been compromised.” The Ministry of Defense has contacted those affected.

Most of the interpreters stayed

Johnny Mercer, the Conservative MP and former British Army minister and officer, said the data leak was a “terrible” mistake and that “makes people’s lives very difficult.”

“The reality is that we have left the vast majority of our interpreters behind. This is going to have a profound impact on the people who still remain in the country, ”warned the former minister.

On Monday it became known that almost 8,000 Afghans they had applied to come to the UK since British troops withdrew from the country. But less than 1 percent They have been told they are “eligible” after completing the Interior Ministry security checks.

James Heappey, the armed forces minister, said 7,900 interpreters had submitted requests for the relocation plan since Aug. 28, the day the UK stopped evacuating people from Kabul.

Of these, 900 “appeared” eligible from the perspective of the Ministry of Defense. But only 50 had completed the Interior Ministry security checks and were now being advised how to proceed. The figures point to a significant delay in the Ministry of the Interior.

The Defense Ministry said: “The generosity of the Arap scheme means that anyone can apply, even if they are not eligible.”

Paris, correspondent

ap

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