Albertans demand stronger safeguards for voter data after breach
Poll shows two-thirds want political parties held to same privacy laws as other businesses.
Most Albertans believe political parties must do far more to protect voter information, according to a new survey conducted after the province's worst data breach in Canadian history.
Two-thirds of respondents said political parties should have a legal duty to safeguard voter data against unauthorized access and misuse, and to notify affected individuals when breaches occur. Sixty-three percent support penalties for serious misuse.
Alberta Privacy Commissioner Diane McLeod called the results encouraging. "This is the worst breach in Canadian history involving voter data," she said. "My office has received nearly 400 emails and phone calls. Many Albertans fear for their safety."
The Centurion Project, a pro-separatist group, allegedly published personal information of nearly three million Albertans in an accessible database. The data was originally provided legally to the Republican Party of Alberta in 2025. The database was taken down following a court order in late April. Founder David Parker has denied wrongdoing, initially claiming the information came from a phonebook.
Eighty-four percent of survey respondents want political parties subject to the same private-sector privacy laws as other organizations. McLeod's office has long advocated for including political parties in Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act.