Investigation into massive data breach widens to Justice Department

OTTAWA – A investigation into the federal government’s loss of personal information on over 5,000 Canadians has widened to include the Justice Department.

The loss of a portable data key containing Canada Pension Plan information was initially thought to involve only Human Resources and Development Canada.

But the privacy commissioner’s office says it has since come to their attention that an employee in the Justice Department may have also been involved.

The office says they are now investigating both Justice and Human Resources as a result.

At the same time, the office is investigating a much bigger breach at Human Resources, this one involving student loan data on over half a million Canadians.

Officials from the department appeared before a House of Commons committee earlier this month to apologize for the loss of information.