Toronto Crime Stoppers has halted anonymous tips after it said Navigate360 told it stolen data included 176,859 Toronto submissions, 12,392 of which may contain personal information.
The organization said the provider’s estimate covers submissions from January 2022 through November 2025. It has not received the messages, it said, and cannot verify their contents or how many may identify someone. Navigate360 also supplied a list of 14,973 names. Toronto Crime Stoppers said the list does not show whether they belong to tipsters, people mentioned in tips or others, leaving it unable to assess the risk.
The organization said some people include details that could identify them in tips. Its usual process is to remove such details before sharing tips with investigators, but some original submissions with potentially identifying information were among the stolen data.
To suspend new Toronto tips, the organization removed its website submission feature and asked Navigate360 and the National Anonymous Call Centre to halt intake for its program. Sean Sportun, chair of Toronto Crime Stoppers, urged people to avoid phone, online and app submissions until a safer method is available.
The Toronto Police Service also temporarily suspended its use of Crime Stoppers while reviewing the incident and security measures. It directed people to report information through the service’s own channels, which do not provide the anonymity of Crime Stoppers. The police service said it is separate from Toronto Crime Stoppers and that the P3 platform operates independently of the service.
CBC reported Oct. 21 that its analysis found more than 1.5 million tips associated with Canadian Crime Stoppers programs, with at least half containing personal information. That analysis covered a broader set of records over a longer period, so its figures are not directly comparable with Toronto Crime Stoppers’ count.
Toronto Crime Stoppers says it is working on safer reporting options but has not set a date to resume intake. It plans to restart only when it is satisfied the system can protect tipsters.
