Canadian Privacy Commission Investigating PowerSchool Breach
Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne has launched an investigation into the PowerSchool data breach that occurred at the end of December, he said in an update Tuesday. Dufresne acted after receiving a breach report from the company and his office received a complaint about the 2024 incident.
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"As we continue to obtain information about the incident, I have launched an investigation under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). My immediate focus is on ensuring that the company is taking the necessary steps to address the issue and protect Canadians’ personal information, notably breach containment and measures to reduce risks to those affected, as well as actions to prevent future breaches."
The software company was sued on Jan. 21 in the U.S. District Court for Eastern California over allegations that its negligence led to a breach that compromised the data of 60 million students, educators, administrators and others (see 2501220057). In an emailed statement on Jan. 22, PowerSchool said it was resolving issues stemming from the breach (see 2501220093).
"PowerSchool has advised my Office that affected Canadians are being notified, and the company is offering credit monitoring and identity protection services," Dufresne said. "My Office also remains in close contact with our provincial and territorial privacy counterparts on this matter."