Premier Danielle Smith says her government will look at new legislation depending on what comes out of investigations into claims a separatist group breached the personal information of three million Albertans.
Smith said in a social media post Friday that she was aware of the situation and that protecting the private information of Albertans is critical. She said those responsible should be held accountable.
“We understand both Elections Alberta and the RCMP are looking into this matter thoroughly, and we will wait for the results of those investigations before commenting further and assessing whether any future legislative changes need to be considered,” she said.
Elections Alberta announced this week it was investigating the group, called the Centurion Project, for publishing an app that made public the names and addresses of every Albertan who has cast a ballot.
Court injunction orders group to take down app
A court injunction secured on Thursday ordered the group to take the app down, which it did within hours. The group said that it would comply with Elections Alberta’s investigation.
Lawyers for Elections Alberta said in court that investigators had determined the database matched a voter list provided to the pro-independence Republican Party of Alberta last summer. They said it was still unclear if a party official had given the list to the group or if it had been obtained through other means.
Such voter lists are only distributed by Elections Alberta to elected officials, political parties and party officials. Provincial law dictates that it can only be used to solicit donations, recruit party members and communicate with electors.
Serious privacy breach
Alberta’s privacy watchdog said the breach was incredibly serious and called on Smith’s government to change privacy laws to give her jurisdiction over political parties.
“This incident demonstrates that it is high time for political parties to be made subject to (the Personal Information Protection Act),” McLeod said.
She added that it’s a move she and her predecessors have been calling for decades, and is something already in place in British Columbia.
McLeod said the personal information that became public through the Centurion Project’s app poses serious risks for many.
“Some examples might be those who work for law enforcement, who are public officials, who are fleeing intimate partner violence and other vulnerable individuals,” McLeod said.
“As this matter unfolds, we will continue to work to determine whether we have jurisdiction over the Centurion Project.”
The Centurion Project said Thursday it relied on an unnamed third-party to build the dataset it used.
“We have taken action to shut down the app until we can ensure that the dataset is compliant with Alberta and federal privacy laws.”
The group’s leader, longtime political organizer David Parker, has said its goal was to identify and recruit supporters of Alberta’s separatist movement ahead of a possible referendum this fall.
The provincial law regulating the use of voter lists says violations can lead to fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for one year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2026.