Published 12 hours ago • loading... • Updated 10 hours ago
Windsor Police Service Temporarily Pauses Crime Stoppers Program Participation
The Peterborough Police Service and London Police suspended their use of Canadian Crime Stoppers on Friday, joining a growing number of Ontario departments halting partnerships following revelations of a cybersecurity breach in the program's third-party tip-management system.
A CBC News investigation revealed that more than 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the past 25 years were exposed in a breach earlier this year involving Navigate360, the platform provider.
Analysis of the stolen data identified more than 850,000 tips containing personally identifiable information, including street addresses and phone numbers that could expose identities of tipsters and individuals named in allegations.
Affected Police Services are directing the public to share information about crimes via non-emergency lines, though these channels do not guarantee the same anonymity as the compromised third-party platform.
Police Services will reassess participation in Crime Stoppers only after receiving verified security assurances, as officials emphasize the organization operates independently from their own internal information technology systems.