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A whistleblower has revealed a parliamentary probe that the UK failed to secure confidential technology enabling Afghanistan's rulers to track down Afghans who worked with western forces.

Data Breach Puts Thousands at Risk

The whistleblower, identified as Person A, stated that Afghans affected by the security lapse were told to change residences and change their phone numbers to ensure their safety from militant forces.

Members of Parliament are currently examining official response of a catastrophic leak of private information concerning approximately 19k individuals who had asked to move to the UK to flee militant rule.

Data Disclosure Was Discovered

A data file including confidential details, such as identities, contact details and sometimes household data, was mistakenly released by a worker stationed at UK special forces headquarters in last year.

The leak was discovered only in August 2023, when identities of several individuals who had applied to settle in Britain were posted on Facebook.

Militant Technology

Many believe there's a misunderstanding that the Taliban do not have similar capabilities that western nations possess,” the whistleblower testified to MPs.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. If they have a contact number, they can locate your exact position. That is what intelligence groups did.”

During testimony about whether the Taliban had access to sophisticated technology, the source declared: “They've got everything.”

Impact of the Security Lapse

Early investigations provided to the investigation indicated that no fewer than forty-nine kin and associates of Afghans affected by the breach had been murdered.

A gag order regarding the incident was implemented in last year and prevented any information concerning it from public disclosure until July 2025.

Safety Measures

Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the volunteer organization she was working with advised individuals at risk they were assisting that they had “apprehensions that certain devices had been intercepted”.

“Our suggestion was that they moved if they could and switched their mobile numbers. That constituted the crucial data that, if authorities obtained these details, would lead to them being traced,” the source testified.

Challenged Assessments

The whistleblower argued that an official review performed by a retired civil servant had been mistaken to determine that the acquisition of the dataset by the Taliban was “minimally impact an individual's existing exposure”.

“The thing to remember is that these Afghans are in hiding from militant forces; they are in hiding. The primary issue involves past work history.”

She detailed terrible treatment experienced by concerned people, comprising electrocution, simulated drowning, and violent assaults.

“There are cases of toddlers who have had their arms broken to try to get relatives to say where someone is,” Person A stated.