Canadian regulator opens probe of IDScan for allegedly violating data privacy laws
Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne has launched a probe of IDScan.net in the wake of reports that a bad actor penetrated company databases to steal personal data and scans of 153 million people's drivers’ licenses.
IDScan.net’s technology is widely used by industry — particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors — to verify official IDs.
The investigation, announced Monday, will probe IDScan’s security practices and whether victim notifications were adequate under Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law, the regulator said in a press release.
On September 4, the identity verification company announced hackers obtained user data held in its cloud platform, but did not say how many customers were affected. The statement came amid a series of reports asserting that the breach exposed driver’s licenses belonging to tens of millions.
IDScan learned of the breach on or around September 1, hours after journalist Brian Krebs revealed the scans were on sale on the dark web.
The identity verification company did not respond to a request for comment.
The investigation is ongoing.
References in this story
- Homepage idscan.net Best-in-Class ID Fraud Platform Provider & ID Scanning Software Solutions For Compliance and Security - IDScan.net
- News release: Privacy Commissioner of Canada launches investigation into a data breach involving stolen identification… www.priv.gc.ca
- Notification of Data Security Incident idscan.net On or around September 1, 2026, IDScan.net received information indicating that certain data may have been accessed without authorization.
- IDScan confirms breach after hackers offer 153 million driver’s license scans for sale therecord.media A notice dated September 4 but not widely shared shows that IDScan acknowledged a data breach but did not specify how many people were affected.
- FBI Probes Service Selling 153M+ Drivers Licenses – Krebs on Security krebsonsecurity.com
- Advanced Cyber Threat Intelligence | Recorded Future www.recordedfuture.com Get real-time, actionable cyber threat intelligence with Recorded Future. Mitigate cyber risks, prioritize threats, and proactively secure your organization.
- Advanced Cyber Threat Intelligence | Recorded Future www.recordedfuture.com Get real-time, actionable cyber threat intelligence with Recorded Future. Mitigate cyber risks, prioritize threats, and proactively secure your organization.
- Suzanne Smalley (@suzannesmalley.bsky.social) bsky.app Reporter covering digital privacy and cybersecurity policy for The Record. Mom. Pub trivia queen. Crossword enthusiast. Literary fiction connoisseur. Idiosyncratic. Signal: Suzanne.236 Email…
