Alberta residents participating in the Maintenance Enforcement Program, which enforces child, partner and spousal support orders should be warned that a potential privacy breach may have occurred relating to the organization’s client data. According to police and justice department officials, they are currently investigating whether such a breach may have occurred and how it may have occurred.
At this point in their investigations, they know that as many as 60 client files might have been compromised due to the breach. Investigators are still looking through the files that remain to determine if any more files and associated personal information could have been breached. All parties who have had their personal information compromised will be contacted by authorities and informed of what happened.
Authorities have zeroed in on one employee in their investigations. Currently, that employee does not have further access to the MEP records database, which holds sensitive, personal and confidential information pertaining to individuals who are paying or receiving child and spousal support. Officials have directed department personnel to conduct a thorough investigation into how the privacy may have occurred and the extent of that investigation.
Alberta residents who are participating in the MEP may want to contact the organization to confirm whether or not their personal records have been breached. A quick call can do a lot to settle one’s nerves about the potential loss of personal data.
The Maintenance Enforcement Program is a valuable program that many Alberta residents do no know about. When it runs the way it is supposed to — and no privacy breaches occur — the program ensures hat Alberta residents receive the child support and spousal support they are owed. Without the program’s assistance, many spouses in Alberta would never receive a dime of the money they are rightfully owed by their ex-spouses.
Source: CBC, “Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley warns of potential privacy breach,” Laura Osman, May 04, 2016