Lost RCMP memory key with informant details was offered for sale by criminals: report

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne waits to appear at the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in Ottawa on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

OTTAWA — The federal privacy watchdog says the RCMP lost a memory key containing personal information about victims, witnesses and informants, and later learned it was being offered for sale by criminals.

A detailed report from the office of privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne reveals the RCMP told the watchdog about the breach in March 2022, prompting a lengthy investigation.

The probe found that the unencrypted USB storage device contained the personal information of 1,741 people, including witnesses, complainants, subjects of interest, informants, police officers and civilian employees.

The privacy commissioner says an RCMP detachment learned from a confidential source three weeks after the loss that the data on the device was being offered for sale by members of the criminal community.

The privacy watchdog recommended the RCMP adopt strict security measures for the use of USB storage devices, given the sensitive nature of the personal information police handle daily.

The commissioner says the Mounties agreed in principle to the recommendations but did not commit to implementing them within a specific timeline.

Article by Jim Bronskill.