The agency will have to pay a large fine, and all because of a small error in the email.
The UK regulator in the field of personal data protection-the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO) - fined the country's Ministry of Defense in the amount of 350 thousand pounds (about 443 thousand dollars). The reason was an incident in 2021, which put at risk the security of Afghans who collaborated with the British army.
According to the regulator, employees of the ministry responsible for implementing the program for resettling Afghans in Britain made a mistake when sending mass emails. Instead of using the hidden BCC (blind carbon copy) field, which does not specify recipients, all contacts were entered in the usual "TO" field.
As a result, the personal data of 265 people who applied for help were disclosed. This could put their lives at risk, because the Taliban do not spare anyone when it comes to revenge for political betrayals.
The victims were members of the ARAP program. The reason for the persecution was their assistance to British troops during the NATO military operation in Afghanistan during 2001-2021.
After the incident, the agency's employees contacted the affected persons, this time using a hidden mailing list. They were advised to change their email addresses and report new contacts through a special secret resource provided by the ministry.
The regulator considered that the initial fine for violating the confidentiality of personal data should have been 1 million pounds sterling. However, the amount was reduced to 350 thousand pounds, taking into account the emergency situation in which the ministry found itself during the urgent evacuation.
As noted in the order on payment of the fine published on Monday, the regulator did not find evidence that the compromised data really got to third parties and caused real harm.
"The Ministry of Defense takes its data protection obligations extremely seriously. We fully recognize the regulator's decision and apologize to the victims, " the representative of the Ministry of Defense said.
The ARAP program has allowed more than 21,000 Afghans to be resettled in Britain. However, its implementation was criticized, since many of the British army's allies still remained in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of troops in 2021.
The decision to withdraw troops was made by the leaders of the United States and NATO after the conclusion of an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020. Under the terms of the agreement, Western forces were to leave Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban's promise not to provide safe haven to terrorists.
However, shortly after the withdrawal of Western troops, the Taliban regained control of the country's territory. On August 15, 2021, they took Kabul, ending the nearly 20-year military presence of the United States and its allies.
The UK regulator in the field of personal data protection-the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO) - fined the country's Ministry of Defense in the amount of 350 thousand pounds (about 443 thousand dollars). The reason was an incident in 2021, which put at risk the security of Afghans who collaborated with the British army.
According to the regulator, employees of the ministry responsible for implementing the program for resettling Afghans in Britain made a mistake when sending mass emails. Instead of using the hidden BCC (blind carbon copy) field, which does not specify recipients, all contacts were entered in the usual "TO" field.
As a result, the personal data of 265 people who applied for help were disclosed. This could put their lives at risk, because the Taliban do not spare anyone when it comes to revenge for political betrayals.
The victims were members of the ARAP program. The reason for the persecution was their assistance to British troops during the NATO military operation in Afghanistan during 2001-2021.
After the incident, the agency's employees contacted the affected persons, this time using a hidden mailing list. They were advised to change their email addresses and report new contacts through a special secret resource provided by the ministry.
The regulator considered that the initial fine for violating the confidentiality of personal data should have been 1 million pounds sterling. However, the amount was reduced to 350 thousand pounds, taking into account the emergency situation in which the ministry found itself during the urgent evacuation.
As noted in the order on payment of the fine published on Monday, the regulator did not find evidence that the compromised data really got to third parties and caused real harm.
"The Ministry of Defense takes its data protection obligations extremely seriously. We fully recognize the regulator's decision and apologize to the victims, " the representative of the Ministry of Defense said.
The ARAP program has allowed more than 21,000 Afghans to be resettled in Britain. However, its implementation was criticized, since many of the British army's allies still remained in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of troops in 2021.
The decision to withdraw troops was made by the leaders of the United States and NATO after the conclusion of an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020. Under the terms of the agreement, Western forces were to leave Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban's promise not to provide safe haven to terrorists.
However, shortly after the withdrawal of Western troops, the Taliban regained control of the country's territory. On August 15, 2021, they took Kabul, ending the nearly 20-year military presence of the United States and its allies.
