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An informant has disclosed the Afghan leak inquiry that the UK failed to secure sensitive technology enabling Afghanistan's rulers to identify local individuals who worked with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, known as Person A, testified that individuals impacted by the data leak were advised to change residences and alter their phone numbers to protect themselves from militant forces.

MPs are looking into official response of a catastrophic breach of personal details involving nearly 19,000 individuals who had applied to relocate to Britain to avoid the Taliban.

The Information Breach Occurred

An electronic document including their personal data, such as names, addresses and sometimes household data, was accidentally leaked by an official working at special operations center in early 2022.

The breach became known only in August 2023, when identities of several individuals who had sought to settle in the UK surfaced on social media.

Regime's Resources

It appears there is a misunderstanding that the Taliban are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” she told lawmakers.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they have it. Once they acquire your phone number, they can locate your exact position. This is exactly how intelligence groups achieved.”

During testimony about regarding if authorities owned advanced decryption, the source confirmed: “They've got everything.”

Consequences of the Information Leak

Initial findings presented to the committee suggested that no fewer than forty-nine relatives and co-workers of people concerned by the breach had been killed.

A superinjunction regarding the incident was implemented in late 2023 and prevented any information about it from media reporting until July 2025.

Protective Actions

Because she was restricted, Person A and the non-governmental organization she collaborated with told Afghan families they were assisting that they had “suspicions that certain devices had been breached”.

“We recommended that they change residence where feasible and switched their contact details. These represented the two main details that, if authorities acquired such data, would cause them being traced,” Person A explained.

Challenged Assessments

Person A argued that internal investigation performed by a former official had been wrong to state that the possession of the records by the Taliban was “unlikely to substantially change an individual's existing exposure”.

“The important fact is that these Afghans are not standing up to the Taliban; they live secretly. All concerns relate to former occupations.”

The source explained horrific abuse suffered by concerned people, including electric shock torture, waterboarding, and physical abuse.

“Instances include four-year-old children who have had their arms broken to try to get households to disclose hiding places,” she testified.