Data Breach in Canada Revealed the identities of 2.2 million gun owners: One of the dangers of a gun registration system

The Investigative Journalism Foundation has discovered that a 2021 data breach that exposed the names of 2.2 million gun owners.

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A hack linked to the Canadian program overseeing firearm licences and registration was the largest data breach reported by a federal institution to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in the past five years, according to documents obtained by the IJF. 

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The single incident accounted for more than half of all people affected by data breaches reported by federal institutions to the privacy watchdog during that period. In total, 3.7 million individuals were affected by data breaches during the time period.  

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A log prepared by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, obtained under access to information legislation, shows that the breach affecting 2.2 million people was reported by the RCMP in September 2021. The breach was caused by “cyber incident malware” and resulted in “unauthorized access.” . . .

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Matt Malone, “Hack linked to gun licensing program was biggest federal data breach in last 5 years: documents,” Investigative Journalism Foundation, February 10, 2026.