FCDO ‘error’ reveals information on Afghan instructor in hiding from Taliban

An Afghan instructor who has been in hiding together with his spouse and two youngsters because the Taliban takeover final August has been instructed by the International, Commonwealth and Improvement Workplace that his private particulars have been handed on to a member of the general public “in error”.

The info breach is the primary identified leak underneath the federal government’s Afghan Residents Resettlement Scheme, which prioritises those that have assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan and susceptible folks, together with members of minority teams.

The person and his household are of a non secular minority and communicate restricted Dari or Pashtu, having spent a few years overseas.

These wishing to use for switch to the UK by means of the ACRS should full an “expression of curiosity” kind. The household’s private particulars from this type had been leaked to a different Afghan citizen, placing them vulnerable to being discovered by the Taliban.

In correspondence seen by the Guardian, the ACRS group alerted the person to the leak and stated: “In accordance with the overall information safety regulation (GDPR), I’m writing to tell you that a few of your private information has, in error, been forwarded on to a different member of the general public who had submitted an expression of curiosity for the Afghan residents resettlement scheme (ACRS) … which contained private information, together with your identify and background particulars.”

They added: “We’ve reviewed our processes in gentle of this occasion and brought steps to keep away from it occurring once more.”

The FCDO stated the information leak has been reported to the UK’s Info Commissioner’s Workplace and all of the household’s particulars have been deleted. The division has assured the household none of their private info has been shared.

The previous instructor, his spouse and two youngsters are extraordinarily distressed and say that is an “unforgivable authorities error”.

“What is absolutely upsetting and unsettling is the truth that as an alternative of being the supply of consolation and sanctuary, the British authorities has regrettably turn out to be the supply of unimaginable ache and hazard for us. These errors might be deadly,” the person stated.

“I’m so pissed off with the blunders and non-responsiveness from the federal government throughout such a tough yr. Now I’m misplaced for phrases that this has occurred. I’m extra uncovered and vulnerable to being misidentified as a British spy, as a result of I labored overseas for thus lengthy. We’re extraordinarily shocked … It’s so distressing for us all,” he added.

The FCDO and the House Workplace have joint accountability for processing ACRS purposes.

The federal government says it goals to resettle greater than 5,000 folks by means of the scheme within the first yr, as soon as the window for expression of curiosity kinds closes on 15 August.

Anybody resettled by means of the scheme will obtain indefinite depart to stay within the UK, and can have the ability to apply for British citizenship after 5 years within the UK underneath present guidelines.

The ACRS scheme runs individually to the Afghan relocations and help coverage (Arap), which affords relocation to those that labored instantly for the British authorities, together with interpreters and safety guards.

An FCDO spokesperson stated: “The FCDO takes its obligations underneath the overall information safety regulation (GDPR) very severely. As quickly as we found the incident we reported it to the Info Commissioner’s Workplace and the person affected consistent with our obligations underneath GDPR.”