A privacy breach involving a political database tied to Alberta’s separatist movement has raised serious concerns about voter information security and political campaigning in the province. The controversy stems from the Centurion Project, a political organization leveraging software derived from 10X Votes, a campaign technology initially used in the United States.
The Centurion Project was launched in early 2026 by a key political organizer, Mr. Parker, whose influence among Alberta’s right-wing activists has been instrumental in shaping the province’s political landscape. Mr. Parker previously mobilized support for figures like former premier Jason Kenney and Premier Danielle Smith and now advocates for Alberta’s independence from Canada based on traditional Christian and family values.
Mr. Parker’s ties to 10X Votes go back to 2024, when he promoted the software on a speaking tour associated with far-right media personality Tucker Carlson in Michigan. He has credited the technology with helping former U.S. President Donald Trump narrowly carry Michigan in the 2024 election by mobilizing historically low-turnout voters, an approach he hoped to replicate in Alberta.
In January 2026, Mr. Parker facilitated a meeting between 10X Votes representatives and the Alberta Prosperity Project, a prominent separatist group. Attendees expressed mixed feelings about the program; while the tool promised efficient identification of pro-independence supporters, concerns emerged about the origin and handling of voter data. Attempts to use the Alberta Prosperity Project’s membership list to build the database were rejected amid privacy apprehensions.
Using the technology adapted for Alberta, the Centurion Project allowed users to search a vast database of eligible voters by name fragments, partial addresses, electoral divisions, and polling stations. Demonstrations of the software revealed the home addresses of prominent politicians such as Jason Kenney and Rachel Notley. Users were encouraged to survey acquaintances’ views on Alberta’s secession and mobilize identified supporters for a potential referendum.
Though Mr. Parker initially claimed the database was compiled from public sources and commercially available data rented at low cost, an investigation revealed serious security vulnerabilities. Journalists who registered as users gained unauthorized access to the full master voter list, containing personal information on nearly 3 million Albertans—almost the entire province’s electorate. This included sensitive data such as middle names, unique electoral identification numbers, and over two million phone numbers.
Elections Alberta has alleged in court that the Centurion Project improperly accessed the official provincial voter registry, which is only authorized for use by registered political parties. The organization reportedly obtained the data through the Republican Party of Alberta, a pro-secession political group connected to Mr. Parker. The scale of the breach is considered one of the largest in Alberta’s history.
The fallout has been significant. Public officials, including Edmonton city councillor Aaron Paquette, reported constituents expressing safety fears after their personal information became widely accessible. One woman reportedly had to relocate urgently due to concerns her whereabouts could be tracked by a violent former partner. Meanwhile, Canada’s security agencies have flagged the situation as a national security concern in classified intelligence assessments.
Efforts to clarify the precise nature of the breach and ongoing investigations by Elections Alberta have been met with limited transparency. Despite requests, authorities have declined to comment further on the current status of their inquiry or any additional vulnerabilities.
U.S. officials familiar with the 10X Votes software stated they had no involvement in its use in Canada, emphasizing that Alberta’s political future is a matter for its residents alone. Meanwhile, Mr. Parker and his associates have remained largely silent amid calls for accountability.
The Centurion Project controversy underscores growing challenges surrounding data privacy, electoral integrity, and the increasing use of sophisticated digital tools in provincial politics, raising questions about how voter information is protected and utilized in an era of political polarization and separatist sentiment.