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A whistleblower has disclosed a parliamentary probe that British authorities abandoned classified devices permitting Afghanistan's rulers to identify local individuals who collaborated with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Thousands in Danger

The whistleblower, known as Person A, testified that people concerned by the security lapse were told to move homes and switch their mobile numbers to ensure their safety from militant forces.

Lawmakers are currently examining the Conservative government's response of a massive leak of confidential data affecting almost nineteen thousand individuals who had asked to come to the UK to escape militant rule.

Data Disclosure Occurred

A spreadsheet containing their personal data, including identities, phone numbers and sometimes household data, was inadvertently disclosed by an official working at UK special forces headquarters in February 2022.

The leak came to light in late 2023, when details of several individuals who had sought to settle in Britain were posted on Facebook.

Militant Technology

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that Afghan rulers do not have similar capabilities that we have,” Person A informed lawmakers.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; it's in their hands. If they have mobile details, they can trace your precise location. This is exactly how the unit achieved.”

When questioned about whether the Taliban owned advanced decryption, Person A confirmed: “They possess all resources.”

Aftermath of the Data Breach

Preliminary research presented to the committee indicated that at least 49 family members and co-workers of Afghans affected by the breach had been killed.

A superinjunction concerning the leak was put in force in August 2023 and blocked all details about it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Given injunction limitations, Person A and the aid group she was working with told individuals at risk they were working with that they had “concerns that mobile communications had been compromised”.

“We recommended that they relocate where feasible and changed their phone numbers. Those were the primary information that, should militant forces acquired such data, would result in them being traced,” Person A explained.

Contested Findings

The source contested that government assessment performed by a former official had been wrong to conclude that the obtaining of the information by the regime was “not significantly alter an individual's existing exposure”.

“The important fact is that affected people are not standing up to the Taliban; they remain concealed. All concerns relate to former occupations.”

She detailed disturbing abuse suffered by at-risk Afghans, comprising electrocution, interrogation techniques, and physical abuse.

“Instances include young kids who have had their arms broken to try to get households to disclose hiding places,” the whistleblower revealed.