A judge has ordered a separatist group to remove from its website a database of information about Alberta voters, which Elections Alberta alleges was obtained illegally.
In a public statement Thursday morning, Elections Alberta announced voter information may have been inappropriately used or distributed by a registered political party that had access to the data.
The agency said it learned a third party may be involved earlier this week and began inquiring immediately, noting its databases or systems were not breached.
According to The Canadian Press, Elections Alberta told an Edmonton judge Thursday morning that voter information was legally given to the Republican Party of Alberta.
The agency also believes data then ended up in the hands of the Centurion Project, which was ordered by the judge to remove Alberta voter information from its website. Elections Alberta confirmed it had sent a cease and desist to the group on Tuesday.
The Centurion Project website says it is “mobilizing a team of community leaders… to take on the task of winning Alberta’s sovereignty,” and encourages supporters to sign up for an app through which they can record whether or not people they know support Alberta leaving Canada.
David Parker, founder of third-party advertiser Take Back Alberta, which supported Danielle Smith’s bid for leadership of the United Conservative Party, is listed as the Centurion Project’s “architect” on an event listing for a meeting hosted by the group on Wednesday.
Edmonton Police Service confirmed it attended an event organized by the Centurion Project on Wednesday to “assist” Elections Alberta in serving documents.
Elections Alberta has since confirmed the information was no longer available on the Centurion Project website, it said in an updated statement.
The injunction order against both the group and the Republican Party of Alberta mandates both groups identify every person or group who was given access to voter information and hand those details over to the chief electoral officer within four days.