Officials with the Canada Revenue Agency are assuring Yukoners that income tax information stored on a now-missing DVD is unlikely to be accessed.

In a statement sent out Friday afternoon informing the public the DVD has been lost by a courier set to bring it to the Yukon, CRA officials also noted the risk is low of anyone accessing the information from it.

“At this time, there is no indication that the data has been accessed or used,” the statement read.

“And given the strong security measures in place, the risk is thought to be very low that the taxpayers’ information would be compromised even if an unauthorized individual were to gain possession of the DVD.

“The information on the DVD is protected using an accredited encryption module that is approved by the communications security establishment for the protection of this nature.”

Some media reports over the weekend said the information of more than 20,000 Yukon taxpayers is involved.

The CRA notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada after it learned the DVD was lost.

Purolator, the courier company involved, has launched its own investigation into the matter.

The CRA went on to note that in administering a variety of programs in the provinces and territories, it regularly provides the provinces and territories with their taxpayer data.

As Eric Clement with the territory’s Department of Finance said this morning, such information may be used for tax policies and other work by the territorial government.

He noted the CRA will be dealing with the matter.

“These data are governed by written information-sharing agreements, and strict protocols are in place to ensure that all taxpayer information is appropriately protected at all times,” the CRA said.

It’s common for encrypted CDs and DVDs to be used when such information is exchanged, with stringent requirements in place for how storage devices such as CDs, DVDs and hardcopies are to be handled, including document marking, storage, destruction, erasure and access.

“An initial investigation indicates that CRA personnel complied with government and agency policies that govern physical security, encryption and password protection,” it’s noted.

“As a result of this event, the CRA will continue to work with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and other stakeholders to whom we normally transfer and receive data to determine whether our processes can be strengthened going forward.”

The CRA is issuing formal notifications of the incident to those affected by registered letter.

Anyone with questions about their personal information can also contact the CRA at 1-866-426-1527 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s office will not be conducting an investigation into the matter.

As Valerie Lawton, manager of strategic communications for the office, explained: “We appreciate having been informed by the department and the fact that affected individuals will also be informed.

“At this point, we are following up with CRA to determine what took place and what they are doing to mitigate the situation. We have not opened a formal investigation.

“We understand the information on the DVD was encrypted. And, generally speaking, encryption can help reduce risks to individuals.

“However, we will need to analyze the situation before reaching any conclusions on the level of risk to the individuals affected by this incident.”