Confidential information leaked after MoD official left laptop open on train
How confidential MoD information has been leaked in recent years
- The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has recorded 49 data breaches over the past four years within the unit handling applications from Afghans seeking relocation to the UK.
- Incidents include an official leaving a laptop open on a train and a sensitive email being accidentally sent to the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, which has 140,000 members.
- David Williams, the MoD's top civil servant, admitted that a major February 2022 breach, involving 33,000 lines of data, was due to a lack of appropriate secure systems.
- Five of these breaches were serious enough to be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which fined the MoD £350,000 for some 'blind copy' email disclosures.
- The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme has been consistently plagued by poor data security, potentially putting the lives of Afghan applicants at risk.