Canada’s privacy czar launches investigation of major driver’s licence hack

CRIME Canada’s privacy czar launches investigation of major driver’s licence hack By Ariel Rabinovitch Global News Posted September 22, 2026 11:51 am Updated September 22, 2026 12:06 pm 4 min read A sweeping data breach is on the radar of the RCMP and FBI, with the scale appearing to be massive — possibly affecting more than 150 million people in Canada and the U.S. The hack is so widespread that it’s even made its way into U.S. President Donald Trump’s inner circle. Touria Izri has the latest. LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE Canada’s privacy commissioner has opened an investigation into a massive cyber breach from earlier this month believed to have exposed the personal information of millions of North Americans, including Canadians’ driver’s licences. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) announced the investigation late Monday, which comes after the office confirmed last week to Global News that it was “aware” of the incident and “engaged with the company,” IDScan.net, which was targeted by the attack. “Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne has opened an investigation into a data breach at IDScan.net following reports that an unauthorized third party gained access to the company database and stole personal information, including digital scans of driver’s licences and other types of identification (ID),” said the privacy commissioner’s office. “The investigation will examine the security safeguards that IDScan.net had in place at the time of the breach, as well as the adequacy of its notifications to affected individuals, to determine its compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law.” STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT 1:50 Cyber attacks are getting easier, experts warn after 3rd federal incident Stick to the Facts Add Global News as a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our stories in your search results. IDScan.net, the statement explains, is an online platform used by businesses to verify customers’ government-issued ID, and some examples of businesses that may use these tools include hospitality and nightlife establishments, among others. According to the PIPEDA: “An organization shall report to the Commissioner any breach of security safeguards involving personal information…