A British soldier received 10 months in detention and a reduction in rank after admitting that he disobeyed an order to remove his phone’s SIM card before deployment to Estonia. Ars Technica reported in November 2026 that nude photographs taken from Daniel Barton-Kennedy’s phone were used to blackmail him during the deployment.
The case concerns personal-device security for troops taking part in Exercise Eastern Warrior in Tapa, approximately 90 miles west of the Russian border. Eesti Ekspress, the Estonian newspaper that first reported the case, shared a 21-page British appeals court document with Ars detailing the orders, the blackmail and the disciplinary proceedings.
Orders before deployment
Barton-Kennedy was a corporal with more than seven years of service in the British Army’s 1st Battalion, Duke of Lancaster Regiment, when the events began in January 2026.
At a January 7 briefing in the United Kingdom, members of his unit were instructed to remove SIM cards, switch off location settings and use a trusted virtual private network, or VPN—a service that routes internet traffic through an encrypted connection—on all personal electronic devices. They received further briefings and reminders after arriving in Estonia days later.
Barton-Kennedy nevertheless kept his SIM card in his phone. Ars described the device as having been hacked; the court account it cited described an unknown party obtaining nude photographs from the phone’s photo section and identifying him through social media.
On January 19, he informed his platoon commander about the blackmail. He initially agreed to pay the attacker £100 ($133), but refused a subsequent demand for £250 ($333) and then reported what had happened.
Guilty plea and unsuccessful appeal
Barton-Kennedy pleaded guilty to disobeying a lawful command at a court-martial hearing on July 30. The court filing said he understood the orders but asked that his personal circumstances be considered: he told the court that without his phone he could not contact his daughter on her birthday or reach his pregnant partner.
In a written statement, he described being shocked by the first blackmail message and said he recognised a duty to report the compromise without further delay. He expressed deep regret and described serving in the Army as one of the greatest privileges of his life.
His appeal against the sentence was denied in August 2026.
For deployed personnel, the concrete instructions in this case covered SIM cards, location settings and VPN use on personal devices. In a statement to Ars, British Army spokesperson Lt. Col. EP Mackie said the measures were intended to protect personnel’s safety and warned that breaches potentially compromising personal safeguarding or operational security would be dealt with swiftly and could bring uncompromising disciplinary action.
