Privacy commissioner investigating provider behind Crime Stoppers data breach

Canada’s privacy commissioner has launched an investigation into a cybersecurity breach involving anonymous tips shared with Crime Stoppers programs across the country.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) said Wednesday that Commissioner Philippe Dufresne initiated the investigation into Navigate360, the commercial provider that manages the P3 tip platform used by Crime Stoppers.

The probe will examine security safeguards Navigate360 had in place at the time of the breach to determine the organization’s compliance with Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law, the OPC said.

The U.S.-based company said in a statement Friday it first became aware of a breach on March 18. It has now learned a third party accessed one of its systems, obtaining copies of some data between Nov. 21, 2025, and March 5, 2026.

Navigate360 acknowledged names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers and other sensitive information may have been affected, though it said the information involved varies by person.

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The company, which also provides software to some schools in the U.S., said phone numbers and email addresses were also exposed.

However, it said it has found no evidence the personal information exposed has been used for fraud or identity theft.

0:37 Winnipeg police suspend Crime Stoppers tips following data breach

The OPC has contacted Crime Stoppers and Navigate360, it said.

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“The OPC’s engagement with both organizations is focused on ensuring that the necessary steps are being taken to address the breach and protect Canadians’ personal information,” the OPC said in a statement.

“This includes breach containment and measures to reduce risks to those affected, as well as actions to prevent future breaches.”

The OPC added it would not provide further details while the investigation is active.

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Several Canadian police forces have suspended their use of Crime Stoppers as concerns grow over the breach.

Sean Sportun, chair of Toronto Crime Stoppers, said last week 176,859 tips submitted to the P3 software between January 2022 and November 2025 were affected, including 12,392 that may contain personal information. Navigate360 later supplied a separate list containing 14,973 names.

However, Sportun said the list “lacks detail necessary to measure the risk involved” because it did not identify who the names belonged to.

“We never ask for your name, and we don’t want it. But people sometimes include details to explain what they saw,” Sportun said.

“Before a tip goes to investigators, our practice is to remove those details. It has come to light that some of those original tips containing potentially identifying information were stolen from P3.”

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Toronto Crime Stoppers continues to press Navigate360 for details, he added.

The company said in its statement it remains dedicated to ensuring the privacy and security of the information under its control.

“Upon discovery of this incident, Navigate360 immediately instituted mitigation measures. Navigate360 promptly implemented additional and enhanced safeguards and enlisted the support of a leading cybersecurity firm to enhance the security of our network, systems, and data,” it said.

“Navigate360 also launched a comprehensive investigation, identified individuals who may have been affected, reported the incident to law enforcement, and notified regulatory bodies.”

Sean Sparling, a former deputy chief of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, previously told Global News officers across Canada use Crime Stoppers “on a daily basis.”

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He said he relied on Crime Stoppers for many of his own investigations.

“Knowing Crime Stoppers and how well it’s organized, how well it works and its importance to the law enforcement community and the safety of our communities, I fully expect they’re going to recover from this,” Sparling said.

Police services that have suspended their use of Crime Stoppers said members of the public can submit information through regular police-reporting channels, although those methods are not anonymous.

Anyone facing an immediate emergency should call 911.

“Until we have a safer way to protect you, please do not send us tips by phone, online or through the app,” Sportun said.

“Pausing our program means that option isn’t available now, and we did not make this decision lightly. We are pausing because those people deserve a system we can fully stand behind.”

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