Canada's privacy commissioner opens probe into massive IDScan.net data breach
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has launched an investigation into a breach at IDScan.net that may have exposed millions of Canadian and U.S. driver’s licence records.
IDScan.net, which supplies verification tools to venues ranging from liquor stores to casinos, announced that an unauthorized third party may have copied data from its cloud accounts. The compromised information is believed to contain personal details from millions of Canadian and American driver’s licences and other government IDs. In response, Canada’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner has opened a formal inquiry to evaluate the firm’s security safeguards, the adequacy of its notice to affected individuals, and compliance with federal privacy legislation.
The company is offering free credit-monitoring services to those potentially impacted. The breach coincides with an FBI investigation into a separate theft of tens of millions of licences being marketed on the dark web. Cybersecurity researcher Zach Edwards described the incident as unprecedented in scale, noting that even his own licence was among the exposed records.
Why it matters
A breach of millions of driver’s licences threatens personal privacy and could enable identity theft across North America.
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