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EDMONTON — Following the recent release of personal information allegedly connected to the Centurion Project, an Alberta separatist-linked organization, Alberta’s privacy commissioner has published a new resource aimed at answering questions from concerned residents about the breach and their privacy rights.
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta says it has released a Frequently Asked Questions document after receiving more than 180 emails and phone calls from Albertans concerned about the alleged exposure of voter information contained in Elections Alberta’s List of Electors.
Elections Alberta informed the commissioner’s office April 30 about the alleged breach involving a third party.
The List of Electors contains personal information belonging to millions of Albertans, including names, addresses, postal codes, phone numbers and unique elector identification numbers.
The commissioner’s office says many Albertans have raised concerns about possible identity theft, misuse of personal information, unauthorized political activity and whether their information may have appeared on citizen petition drives.
Other residents have called for criminal prosecutions or a public inquiry into the incident.
The FAQ document explains what authority the privacy commissioner has under Alberta law, what actions fall outside the office’s jurisdiction and what steps Albertans can take to help protect themselves.
The office says the volume of public inquiries has made it impossible to respond individually to every caller or email.
The commissioner’s office is also encouraging Albertans to review the FAQ resource before contacting investigators directly.
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner operates independently from the Alberta government and oversees responsibilities connected to provincial privacy and access-to-information legislation, including the Personal Information Protection Act.
The RCMP continues investigating the broader data breach involving the alleged unauthorized use and publication of Alberta voter information.
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