Due to a data breach at the British Ministry of Defense, the email addresses of more than 250 Afghan interpreters have become visible in a group email. The ministry has announced that it is investigating the matter.
The ministry sent an email to Afghan interpreters who want to move to the United Kingdom. Many of them may be at risk since the Taliban took power in their home countries because they worked for the British government. The email addresses of the interpreters could be seen for all recipients.
About half an hour later, a second email was sent to the recipients. It stated that their email address may have become known and they were asked to delete the first message.
Unacceptable leak
In a statement, the ministry apologized and promised to investigate the matter. Ben Wallace, the Secretary of Defense, spoke to the BBC about an “unacceptable leak”.
A recipient of the email told the BBC that the error “could cost the lives of interpreters, especially those still in Afghanistan”. “Some of the interpreters didn’t realize the mistake and had already replied and told about their situation. That is very dangerous. The email contains their profile pictures and their contact details.”
The affected interpreters are advised to change their email addresses.
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