Question Period Note: CALL CENTRE BREACH

Call Centre Privacy Breach: A client calling the Employment Insurance (EI) Call Centre was inadvertently able to listen to a voicemail containing the personal information of the previous caller.

• The Department is committed to protecting the privacy and integrity of the personal data it collects and retains from Canadians through strong and well-established policies and procedures that are constantly reviewed and strengthened.
• The Department has been made aware of two incidents in which callers to the EI Call Centre were able to access some personal information of a previous caller.
• The Department has taken steps to complete a full review of the telephone configuration for all call centre agents and have corrected configurations in order to mitigate any future occurrence.

The Employment Insurance (EI) Call Centres serve as clients’ primary point of contact to discuss details pertaining to their individual benefit account, including account-specific information and assistance over the telephone.

On December 9th, 2021, a client calling the EI Call Centre was inadvertently able to listen to a voicemail being left by an earlier caller, which included their Social Insurance Number, access code, name, and phone number.
As the client who was listening to the voicemail had access to the client’s phone number, they called them to inform them of what had happened.
As a result of this incident, a security incident report has been completed and the National Call Centre is investigating how the clients were given this voicemail option.
The client who received the inappropriate information has since destroyed it and has been contacted by his Member of Parliament’s office. The client has indicated that they are satisfied with the outcome.
A second incident, occurring on the same date and approximate time, has also been reported and addressed.

• The Employment Insurance Call Centre does not offer callers an option to leave a voicemail.

• On December 9, 2021, a client calling the Employment Insurance Call Centre was able to leave a voicemail due to an incorrect telephone configuration.

• As a result, the next caller was able to listen to the previous caller’s voicemail, which included personal information of a sensitive nature.

• The caller alerted the other client as well as ESDC and a security incident report has been completed.

• A second incident was reported on the same date and approximate time.

• The two reported incidents appear to be isolated to a small window of time on December 9 2021, which coincided with a network-wide technical issue.