TORONTO — More than 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over roughly the past 25 years were captured in a large data breach, an exclusive CBC investigation has found.The tips were among more than 8.3 million records stolen in a March 2026 hack of the P3 Global Intel platform, the software used by Crime Stoppers chapters to collect and manage reports. The Canadian portion of the data showed that about half of the 1.5 million tips contained personally identifiable information, including names, phone numbers, emails, and addresses of tipsters, people named in the tips, and in some cases Crime Stoppers staff or police.The group behind the breach, Internet Yiff Machine, said in a manifesto that it targeted the platform to challenge claims that the system was “anonymous” and “secure.” Crime Stoppers programs have long promoted anonymity as a core feature to encourage the public to report crime.Some tipsters said they now fear retaliation. One person who submitted a tip related to a case in which police later laid a murder charge told the outlet the exposure left them worried about the safety of family members. The RCMP has acknowledged public-safety concerns stemming from the breach..Officials confirmed that a security incident involving the P3 platform occurred, but details on the full scope of personal data exposed and whether affected tipsters were individually notified remain limited. Local police services in Ontario, including Hamilton and Waterloo Region, previously said they were monitoring the situation after the breach was first reported earlier this year.The platform continues to be used by Crime Stoppers programs across Canada. The Canadian Crime Stoppers Association has said it is working with the software provider to assess the impact.The leak covers tips dating back decades and includes reports on a wide range of crimes. Because many tips contained contact details or identifying information despite the promise of anonymity, the breach has raised questions about the protection of people who come forward to assist police.
