Victoria (Media Release/CBC/Black Press) The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC) is investigating whether the British Columbia Crime Stoppers Society took adequate steps to protect personal information gathered from people who reported tips in BC.
Under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), the OIPC has jurisdiction over organizations including non-profits) that collect, use and disclose the personal information of people living in British Columbia. Organizations are required under PIPA to make reasonable security arrangements to protect personal information that they hold.
Due to the sensitive nature of the personal information held by Crime Stoppers, individuals do not need to complain to the OIPC if they believe they have been affected by the breach.
As this is an active file before the office, the OIPC is not able to provide further information.
This comes on the heels after a CBC investigation that found more than 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the last 25 years were exposed in a massive data breach.
The OIPC has many resources available to organizations and individuals that experience a privacy breach:
Privacy breach checklist for organizations: https://www.oipc.bc.ca/documents/guidance-
documents/2583
Recovering from identity theft in BC: https://www.oipc.bc.ca/documents/infographics/3222
Identity theft: quick reference for public bodies and organizations:
https://www.oipc.bc.ca/documents/guidance-documents/3223
