Canadian election databases use "canary traps"—and they work
Summary
Canadian election officials used a simple security method called a canary trap to find out who leaked voter data. They put fake entries in the voter list given to the Republican Party of Alberta, and when these fake entries appeared in an unauthorized online database run by another group, officials quickly identified the source.Key Facts
- A canary trap involves adding small, unique changes to documents to track leaks.
- Alberta’s electoral list includes names, addresses, and voting districts of millions of people.
- Political parties can access this voter list but are not allowed to share it with others.
- The Centurion Project created an online database using data from Alberta’s voter list without permission.
- Elections Alberta noticed fake entries in the unauthorized database that matched ones given to the Republican Party.
- The canary trap helped Elections Alberta prove the data leak came from the Republican Party’s copy.
- The Centurion Project removed its database after legal action by Elections Alberta.
- The canary trap concept is from espionage and was popularized by Tom Clancy’s novel "Patriot Games."
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