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Sir Grant Shapps, former defense secretary, has spoken out in defense of the decision to keep a data breach involving the information of thousands of Afghans and some British officials confidential. In his recent interview, Sir Grant emphasized that erring on the side of caution was completely justified, as his primary focus was on rectifying the situation and saving lives. The potential risks were deemed severe, with many individuals facing the threat of serious harm or death as the Taliban sought retribution against those who had collaborated with the British government during the conflict.
The injunction that prohibited the reporting of the breach, known as a “super-injunction” which extends to concealing the existence of the injunction, was lifted earlier this week. Sir Grant assumed the role of Defense Secretary in August 2023, just after the breach was uncovered and measures were put in place to prevent its disclosure. He expressed relief that efforts had been made to safeguard lives, stating that he would rather explain the need for a super-injunction than face the consequences of inaction resulting in loss of life. Despite his surprise at the prolongation of the order, Sir Grant acknowledged the necessity of its existence in the earlier stages.
The breach, discovered in August 2023, involved the inadvertent disclosure of data belonging to nearly 19,000 Afghans seeking resettlement in the UK and over 100 British individuals, including intelligence operatives and special forces. The breach went undetected until a person in Afghanistan shared part of the data on social media, prompting the government to establish the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) for affected individuals. Concerns were raised about the failure to inform the Intelligence and Security Committee due to the high risks associated with the leak becoming public knowledge.
Following the compromise reached by barristers representing the Ministry of Defense and media entities, the secondary injunction restricting the reporting on UK special forces and security personnel was lifted. The breach, stemming from a mistaken email containing resettlement applications, led to the implementation of the ARR scheme, facilitating the relocation of thousands of Afghans to the UK. Despite the Ministry of Defense’s reluctance to disclose the impact in Afghanistan, concerns persist among families of those affected, as the Taliban’s actions post-leak have intensified fears for their safety
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