Canada’s communications intelligence agency has admitted to ‘improperly’ sharing private information about Canadians with foreign intelligence services sometime between 2020 and 2023. The private information of Canadians was reportedly obtained "incidentally," according to a spokesperson from the agency.

The Communications Security Establishment (CSE), which is responsible for defending government networks, launching cyber operations and analyzing foreign electronic communications, came forward with details about the breach after Canada's intelligence commissioner brought up the incident in his annual report submitted to Parliament last week.

Speaking to the CBC, CSE spokesperson Janny Bender Asselin explained that the agency was forced to notify Canada's defence minister about an incident in which "CSE improperly shared information."

"CSE identified an activity where, between 2020 and 2023, we shared some information with international partners without properly removing Canadian information that had been acquired incidentally when targeting valid foreign intelligence targets," she said.

The CSE spokesperson claimed that the agency "acted quickly to contain the issue," including seeking assurances from foreign partners that the information was promptly deleted.

"We continue to update our policies and procedures to prevent reoccurrence," noted the CSE spokesperson to the CBC.

It is currently unclear what specific information about Canadians was shared with the foreign intelligence services and what countries those foreign agencies belong to. The CSE also did not say how many Canadians were impacted by the breach, or whether they have been notified.

The CSE's own annual report, which is expected later this month, will include additional details about the security incident, according to the agency's spokesperson. Canada's Intelligence Commissioner Simon Noël has reportedly urged the CSE to be as transparent as possible in its report.

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