The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Wednesday informed the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication that some of its own employees were involved in the recent leak of sensitive taxpayer data.
During the committee meeting, officials from Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) briefed lawmakers on multiple incidents of data breaches within the tax authority’s systems. They revealed that around 120,000 individuals’ data was leaked in 2024, while information of 79 taxpayers was compromised in a more recent incident.
FBR representatives told the committee that whenever such breaches occur, they are immediately reported to the National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT).
They said the latest breach originated from the FBR’s Karachi office, where some employees allegedly accessed sensitive records through their official login credentials and shared the information with unauthorized individuals.
The matter was subsequently reported to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the employees involved were arrested, officials said.
Members of the committee questioned the level of accountability within the tax authority. Senator Kamran Murtaza asked whether any cases had been registered against the employees responsible for leaking the data.
Meanwhile, Senator Talha Mahmood questioned why strict action had not been taken against individuals involved in previous data leak incidents. He also alleged that certain influential figures linked to the IT department had avoided accountability despite serious accusations.
The committee emphasized the need for stronger data protection measures and stricter oversight to prevent further breaches of confidential taxpayer information.
