{"id":639834,"date":"2026-05-01T01:52:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T01:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/639834\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T01:52:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T01:52:15","slug":"alberta-separatist-group-ordered-to-take-down-list-of-voters-rcmp-investigating-alleged-privacy-breach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/639834\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberta separatist group ordered to take down list of voters, RCMP investigating alleged privacy breach"},"content":{"rendered":"

The names and addresses of millions of Albertans were posted in a searchable online database for days before a court order forced a separatist group to take it down. Now, RCMP are investigating.<\/p>\n

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Elections Alberta released more details about the situation Thursday afternoon, disclosing who allegedly shared the information and how long the searchable database was available for anyone to see.<\/p>\n

The Republican Party of Alberta\u2019s copy of the list of electors was given to The Centurion Project<\/a>, Elections Alberta<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

The project is led by longtime political organizer David Parker, who has said the goal is to recruit and identify those who support the idea of Alberta separating from Canada ahead of a potential fall referendum.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Take Back Alberta\u2019 claims to to control United Conservative Party, premier\u2019s office\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

On Thursday morning, an Edmonton judge granted an injunction ordering The Centurion Project to remove from its website the database of close to three million provincial voters.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\tInjunction granted as Elections Alberta investigates<\/p>\n

The judge granted the injunction at the request of Elections Alberta, which is investigating if the official elector list was obtained by the separatist group.<\/p>\n

Joey Redman, a lawyer for the elections agency, told Court of King\u2019s Bench Justice John Little the information on the list, and therefore allegedly in the database, is \u201cincredibly confidential.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery elector in Alberta who has cast a ballot is included on that list, including people in very sensitive positions,\u201d Redman said.<\/p>\n

Redman said the agency believes the list was originally given legally to the pro-independence Republican Party of Alberta.<\/p>\n

But Elections Alberta believes that list ended up in the hands of a pro-separation group called the Centurion Project, which allegedly created a publicly accessible database of the private information.<\/p>\n

Redman said the agency has yet to confirm how the list allegedly managed to change hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know whether it was provided by a representative of the Republican Party. I don\u2019t know if the list was left out on a desk and somebody picked it up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Under provincial law, only political parties, members of the legislature, prospective candidates and constituency associations are given copies of the voter list.<\/p>\n

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It can only be used to solicit donations, recruit party members and communicate with electors.<\/p>\n

Specific security features are added to each list provided to eligible recipients, which Elections Alberta said allows it to identify who received each specific copy.<\/p>\n

Redman went into further detail in court, explaining every individual list distributed by the agency is seeded with fake names to allows investigators to track who uses it.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tWhen did the data come to light?<\/p>\n

Elections Alberta said it started looking into the issue on Monday, April 27.<\/p>\n

Redman said investigators acting on credible information from an anonymous tipster probed the database published by The Centurion Project and matched the fake names to a list given to the Republican Party in 2025.<\/p>\n

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A day after being tipped off, Elections Alberta said the chief electoral officer wrote to the people associated with The Centurion Project, saying if they were accessing the list then they must immediately cease and desist.<\/p>\n

However, the online database remained up.<\/p>\n

Elections Alberta serves cease-and-desist order<\/p>\n

An event was held on Wednesday, April 29 at the Edmonton Oilfield Technical Society, in which those invited were told they would learn how to to identify and engage 1.5 million Alberta voters by October, when the province is holding a referendum on a range of topics.<\/p>\n

During the meeting, several Edmonton Police Service officers accompanied representatives from Elections Alberta to the meeting to ensure in person that organizers had received the cease and desist.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a third-party advertiser, as an organisation, as a corporation you are not authorized to possess or to use that list of electors, OK?\u201d an Elections Alberta official said to a Centurion representative outside the Wednesday night meeting, where the conversation was captured on video.<\/p>\n

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The agency said another copy of the order was personally served to The Centurion Project.<\/p>\n

David Parker denies wrongdoing<\/p>\n

Afterwards, Parker posted a picture of a phone book on social media with the caption: \u201cLook everyone! I found names and addresses in a nefarious document called a phone book! Call the cops!\u201d<\/p>\n

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At the meeting, Parker spoke with Global News, confirming the existence of the database and insisted it contained public information. He wouldn\u2019t say where Centurion got the information in the database, but that they\u2019d \u201clegally rented it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe website is a database of Albertans that people can search and claim the people that they know. It creates a list for them. No one else can see the list,\u201d Parker said. \u201cI\u2019m an admin, I can\u2019t even see the lists, so it\u2019s very private. People can go that have a security background in IT, they can go and look \u2014 it\u2019s a very secure site.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a phone book without phone numbers. It\u2019s literally name, address, that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Canadian Press examined The Centurion Project\u2019s online database before it was taken down.<\/p>\n

The site did not require identity verification and was accessible to anyone who had the link for it, and any name could be searched.<\/p>\n

It listed the names and home addresses of the province\u2019s prominent politicians, top elections official, senators, judges and Crown prosecutors and public figures such as journalists \u2014 information not available through public online telephone databases.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tPolitical activist David Parker, of Take Back Alberta and The Centurion Project, speaking to supporters in Edmonton, Alta. on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Parker said on Wednesday there was nothing illegal about The Centurion Project\u2019s use of the voter list and if anyone objects to the release of the names and addresses, \u201cWe\u2019ll see you in court.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Late Thursday afternoon, The Centurion Project issued an updated statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cVolunteers utilized the Centurion App database to find people they know. They did not have access to phone numbers or emails. The Centurion Project relied on a third party to provide us with datasets for this tool. The Centurion Project is aware of recent allegations regarding the app\u2019s data. We have taken action to shutdown the app until we can ensure that the dataset is compliant with Alberta and Federal privacy laws. The Centurion Project plan to fully comply with Elections Alberta\u2019s investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Look everyone! I found names and addresses in a nefarious document called a phone book! Call the cops! pic.twitter.com\/VeifCMrbq3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 David Parker (@david_parker) April 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

What does the injunction entail?<\/p>\n

Elections Alberta took the issue to court on Thursday morning, where the judge granted an ex parte emergent injunction to prohibit Centurion from any access to or use of the list.<\/p>\n

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By late morning, the database was not longer publicly accessible at the link it had been posted to.<\/p>\n

The injunction order also directs The Centurion Project and Republican Party of Alberta to, within four days:<\/p>\n

Identify every person or entity the Centurion Project Ltd. and the Republican Party of Alberta have provided a copy of the List of Electors, or a portion of the List of ElectorsIdentify every person or entity the Centurion Project Ltd. and the Republican Party of Alberta have permitted to access the information from the List of Electors or portion of the List of ElectorsProvide to the Chief Electoral Officer all contact information the Respondents have for these people or entities<\/p>\n

Cameron Davies, leader of the Republican Party, told The Canadian Press Thursday it has not been officially contacted by Elections Alberta.<\/p>\n

He said the party issued a notice to the Centurion Project that any information the group may have allegedly received \u2014 if it came from the party \u2014 is not to be used.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were proactive on that before the injunction today, and we\u2019ll be fully complying with Elections Alberta,\u201d Davies said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore on Politics
\n\t\t\tMore videos\n\t\t<\/p>\n

Rare move by Elections Alberta as privacy commissioner calls for change<\/p>\n

The fact that Elections Alberta went public about the issue at all is unusual, as the agency is prohibited under law from commenting on or even confirming investigations.<\/p>\n

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However in its statement Thursday afternoon, the agency said it felt it was critical Albertans be aware of the alleged data breach and said it would share what it could.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wish to reinforce that Elections Alberta is taking every possible action to protect and recover the information,\u201d the agency said.<\/p>\n

It has notified the province\u2019s information and privacy commissioner and said it\u2019s working with law enforcement to determine the scale and scope of the alleged privacy breach and if additional action is required.<\/p>\n

Alberta Privacy Commissioner Diane McLeod said it gathered information all day Thursday and is still determining if the case falls within that office\u2019s jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy office does not have jurisdiction over personal information contained in the List of Electors that may have been disclosed by a political party. This is because the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) does not apply to political parties,\u201d McLeod said.<\/p>\n

That said, she added the alleged release of millions of people\u2019s addresses is very serious.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some of these individuals, there is likely a real risk of significant harm given that their home address and phone numbers have been made public. This could be especially harmful for certain individuals.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome examples might be those who work for law enforcement, who are public officials, who are fleeing intimate partner violence and other vulnerable individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

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McLeod said this incident demonstrates it\u2019s high time for political parties to be made subject to PIPA, which she said her office has been calling to happen for decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is evidence of a concerning gap in Alberta\u2019s privacy laws as it relates to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by political parties,\u201d McLeod said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the PIPA review, which is still underway, we renewed the call for political parties to be made subject to the Act. Of note is that BC\u2019s PIPA, which is substantially similar to Alberta\u2019s, does apply to BC\u2019s political parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am once again calling on government to make political parties subject to PIPA in the next set of amendments to the Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alberta\u2019s Election Act legislates the contents, distribution, protection and use of the list of electors. Breaches of the law can lead to fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment of one year.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tRCMP investigating<\/p>\n

The Alberta RCMP has launched its own investigation.<\/p>\n

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Mounties said they received a tip from someone associated with the Alberta NDP who raised concerns about potential misuse of the provincial voter list maintained by Elections Alberta.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe RCMP has initiated an investigation and is working with other law enforcement partners in the province to determine if any offence(s) have been committed respecting the dissemination or handling of the information contained in the voter list,\u201d said Alberta RCMP media relations manager Fraser Logan.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not known how long the site had been live before officials were tipped off on Monday.<\/p>\n

Political fallout: \u2018Genie is out of the bottle\u2019<\/p>\n

Former politician Thomas Lukaszuk, who is leading the Forever Canadian initiative to ensure Alberta remains in Canada, is very concerned.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce this genie is out of the bottle, once they have that list, there\u2019s no way of controlling it. You know, there could be 50,000 copies of those lists right now, circulating,\u201d Lukaszuk said on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Opposition NDP leader Naheed Nenshi said the Republican Party should be deregistered if it gave the list to The Centurion Project.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s dangerous, it puts people\u2019s lives at risk, and it puts our democracy at risk,\u201d Nenshi said.<\/p>\n

Progressive Tory Party leader Peter Guthrie said his party doesn\u2019t have an elector list but would never consider doing such a thing.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat would run directly counter to the standards we\u2019re committed to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dave Prisco, the spokesperson for the United Conservative Party, said in a statement: \u201cThe UCP did not provide the list of electors to any unauthorized outside group or individual. Any suggestion to the contrary is false.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who is David Parker?<\/p>\n

David\u00a0Parker is best known for organizing a grassroots movement called Take Back Alberta.<\/p>\n

It helped organize United Conservative Party members to cast ballots to take down former premier Jason Kenney in a confidence vote.<\/p>\n

Take Back Alberta later helped galvanize support to help Danielle Smith win the UCP leadership party race to take Kenney\u2019s place.<\/p>\n

Smith went on to become premier in her own right in the 2023 provincial election.<\/p>\n

She attended Parker\u2019s wedding but two years ago, distanced herself from him over some of his social media posts personally criticizing federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife \u2014 posts that prompted Smith to tell Parker to \u201cdelete his X account and get some help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early last year, Elections Alberta fined Parker and Take Back Alberta more than $100,000 for a range of violations.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tElections Alberta\u2019s reasons for Take Back Alberta fines unclear\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u2014with files from Jack Farrell and Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

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