The data of more than a hundred British officials was exposed in a major data leak in 2022. Sensitive information, such as the closely guarded personal data of MI6 spies and elite troops, was also accidentally made public.
Due to a special law, British media were long prohibited from reporting on the leak. This regulation expired on Tuesday, after which more and more became known about the leaked data.
For example, it came to light on Tuesday that the British government has secretly brought some 4,500 Afghans to the United Kingdom in recent years.
They were on an accidentally leaked list with thousands of names of Afghans who worked for the British before the Taliban regained power in 2021. There were fears that the Taliban would take revenge, after which the British government decided to remove the affected people from Afghanistan. For security reasons, this was done in secret.
On Thursday, it emerged that data from elite troops of the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service had also been leaked. The BBC therefore speaks of “one of the worst security breaches in recent British history”. It was allegedly leaked accidentally from Special Forces headquarters. Sources tell The Guardian that data from spies of the foreign intelligence service MI6 has also been leaked.
Defense Minister John Healey already apologized for the leak in parliament on Tuesday. “This should never have happened,” he said. “It may have happened three years ago under the previous government, but I offer my sincere apologies to everyone whose data has been leaked.”