UK Government Hid Afghan Data Breach With Gag Order

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) used an unprecedented superinjunction to suppress details of a massive data breach that exposed up to 100,000 Afghans who sought sanctuary in Britain, putting them at risk from the Taliban. The gag order, the first of its kind by the government, barred any reporting or acknowledgment of the injunction, stifling public debate and parliamentary scrutiny. The government also misled parliament and the public about the scale and expense of a covert evacuation operation, with costs cited as ranging from £400 million to £7 billion. The superinjunction was granted under the 'contra mundum' provision, reflecting its exceptional impact on press freedom. Legal experts and journalists criticized the move as setting a dangerous precedent for state secrecy. Full details of the breach and injunction only emerged after a lengthy court battle led to the order's lifting.