Valérie Ouellet, reporting for CBC News:

When Andrew Rivard spotted a Crime Stoppers ad offering a $2,000 reward for tips in the winter of 2025, he decided to report what he knew about illegal cigarette sales in his neighbourhood.

Rivard’s original tip shows he disclosed his full name. He says he trusted the organization’s long-standing promise to protect the identities of all tipsters.

“I was told nothing would come of it; no one would come to me with, you know, I guess, resentment,” Rivard said. “I just was hoping it would be that exactly — anonymous.”

But the Manitoba man’s report — along with information from more than 1.5 million other tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the last 25 years — was exposed in a massive data breach, an exclusive CBC investigation has found.

The personal information captured in some compromised tips was detailed enough for CBC to contact more than a dozen tipsters — including Rivard — who reacted with shock and fear for their safety.

I can’t say I’m surprised privacy wasn’t top-of-mind for this Tips database. They use the term ‘anonymous’ in spirit, rather than in practice. Same goes for large swaths of organizations that hold personal information about everyday citizens. Following the publication of this story they paused the program, effective immediately.