Ottawa police suspend Crime Stoppers use after massive data breach

OTTAWA · The Ottawa Police Service has temporarily suspended its use of the Crime Stoppers reporting platform following a reported data breach. The service announced the suspension Friday evening, saying it was acting out of an abundance of caution while it reviews the situation. Ottawa police said the Crime Stoppers platform is not connected to its internal systems. The public is now being asked to contact police directly to report crimes or suspicious activity.

"While OPS and Crime Stoppers have worked closely in support of community safety, Crime Stoppers operates independently from the police service," the OPS said in a news release. "The Crime Stoppers reporting platform is not connected to OPS internal systems." The suspension follows an exclusive CBC News investigation that revealed the extent of a massive data leak from Crime Stoppers. CBC News analyzed a copy of the hacked data, finding more than 1.5 million tips submitted to Crime Stoppers programs across Canada over the past 25 years were compromised. More than 850,000 of those tips, about half of all Canadian records identified, included personally identifiable information. CBC could not determine in every instance whether the information belonged to a tipster, a victim or someone accused of a crime. The Ottawa Police Service said it is working to better understand the scope and impact of the incident and will continue to assess any potential impacts on police operations.

Ottawa police are now directing the public to contact them directly. "While we take the protection of personal information seriously and handle it in accordance with our privacy and information security obligations, it doesn't necessarily offer the same anonymity as Crime Stoppers," the OPS statement said. Members of the public can leave tips by dialing 613-236-1222 and entering extension 3000, where they will hear two rings followed by a voicemail box. Non-emergency incidents can also be reported online at ottawapolice.ca/report.

READ MORE: Alberta Mountie found not guilty of leaking police data to Rwanda

READ MORE: Edmonton police credit data-driven strategy for downtown crime drop

Ottawa is not alone in suspending the service. A wave of police services across Ontario and other parts of Canada have also paused their use of Crime Stoppers. The Toronto, York Region, Halton Region, Windsor, Kingston, Cornwall and Hamilton police services have all announced they have suspended their partnerships with local Crime Stoppers chapters. The Winnipeg Police Service also suspended its use of Crime Stoppers on Friday.

Winnipeg police said they were made aware that some data related to Winnipeg was included in the breach. "The Winnipeg Police Service has suspended its use of Crime Stoppers while we review the information that has become available and assess the additional safeguards and security measures being implemented by Crime Stoppers and its service providers," police said. Winnipeg police noted that Crime Stoppers operates as a separate, independent organization and manages its own platforms. "We recognize the important role Crime Stoppers has played in supporting community safety and investigations over many years and appreciate the seriousness with which it is approaching this matter," Winnipeg police said. To submit information during the suspension, people in Winnipeg can make online reports or call the police tip line at 204-986-6178. Police said they will try to accommodate requests for anonymity where possible. The Winnipeg Police Service also stated its foremost concern is the safety and security of residents who may be impacted. "Public trust is essential to the success of any reporting platform, and we recognize the importance of maintaining confidence in the security and confidentiality of information shared by members of the public," the service said.

With files from Ottawa Citizen, CBC News and Global News