Privacy commissioner investigating provider behind Crime Stoppers data breach

Canada's privacy watchdog, Philippe Dufresne, has launched an investigation into a data breach at Crime Stoppers, a platform used by police departments across the country. The incident, which occurred in March, exposed 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the past 25 years. Navigate360, a U.S.-based third-party company that manages the platform, confirmed the breach and took immediate action to investigate and implement additional safeguards.

Police forces in Ontario, as well as two in Manitoba, have paused accepting tips through the platform while they assess the incident. The privacy commissioner's office has reached out to Crime Stoppers programs for guidance and will examine Navigate360's security measures to determine compliance with Canada's federal private-sector privacy law. The watchdog has also contacted Navigate360, though it has not yet received a response.