Security and Privacy

Desjardins Securities adheres to the most rigorous standards of privacy and security. All precautions are taken in order to protect transactions and information exchanged on the secured site.

What level of security is offered the Desjardins Securities websites?

Desjardins Securities applies the highest standards of security currently used in the industry in order to safeguard all information and transactions. All outgoing data are governed by the provisions of the Act respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector.

All operations carried out during a session on the secure site are encrypted in order to ensure confidentiality during the exchange between our servers and your computer's web browser.

Information is protected by Verisign 128-bit SSL encryption certificates. Verisign is a leader in the protection of information on the Internet. Secure pages on Desjardins Securities sites are accessible only if you are using a web browser that permits the use of the 128-bit SSL security protocol.

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. This protocol permits the encryption of exchanged data and the authentication of the server. It ensures that only authorized users can read your personal data. This way, your transactions are protected by an inviolable encryption system.

Which browsers are equipped with 128-bit encryption?

Microsoft Edge 25.0 or later versions. - External link. This link will open in a new window.
Mozilla Firefox 61.0 or later versions. - External link. This link will open in a new window.

How to determine if you are on a secure site

Check the site address. It should start with [https://|https:]. The "s" indicates that the site is secure. There will be a padlock icon on the status bar of your browser.
In Edge, click the padlock icon adjacent to the address bar to display the website administrator, the security certificate and to verify the level of encryption: Click the padlock icon, then the Certificate link underneath to see the security certificate.
If you are on a secure site which starts with https:// but you do not see the padlock, click the Compatibility View button adjacent to the address bar to display the padlock.

Are online forms and requests secure?

Yes. Once completed, the forms that you transmit electronically are secure and none of the information on these forms can be intercepted by a third party.

Is electronic mail (email) secure?

No. Messages sent by electronic mail are not secure during their transmission. Therefore, it is important not to include any personal or confidential information in your outgoing emails.

Furthermore, your incoming email can be opened and read by others if you do not take the necessary precautions. To avoid this, you should obtain an email address that is linked to a mailbox that requires a password that only you would know.

How to maximize the security of your information

Be sure to "log out" when you want to exit a secure site.
Be sure to use the suggested versions of web browsers.
Do not choose a password that is easily guessed.
Choose a password of 6 to 12 characters composed of letters and numbers.
Do not disclose your password to anyone.
Do not save your password in your computer's memory.
Change your password regularly.
Clear (or erase) your browser's cache at the end of each session. This will prevent others from accessing your information when you are away from your workstation.

Privacy

At Desjardins Securities confidentiality is a priority. This is why we take the necessary measures to ensure the confidentiality of your personal information. Personal information refers to all information that you provide willingly.

Privacy of information on Desjardins Securities websites

Information collected on Desjardins Securities websites is confidential. Only authorized personnel have access to it. In no instance will your personal information be made public or sold or passed along to a third party without your consent, except to provide services that you requested or to comply with a court order.

Why we gather personal information on our websites

The personal information gathered on Desjardins Securities sites is used solely to follow up on a client's online requests for services and financial products, or for estimates.

Right of access and correction

You can access your personal information at any time. To do so, you must submit a written request to the person in charge of your file or to the address below:

Desjardins Securities
1170, Rue Peel
Suite 300
Montreal, Quebec H3B 0A9

Your request must be detailed enough to allow us to identify the documents or other media containing the personal information you wish to access.

We may need to validate your identity and the reason for your request.

We'll inform you if there are any fees for processing your request. These fees, if any, are reasonable and are usually limited to the cost of transcription, reproduction or transmission. In such cases, we’ll ask for your permission before proceeding.

What can I do if i have questions or if I’m not satisfied with the handling of my personal information?

If you have a question, concern or complaint about the processing of your personal information, you can:

Fist, contact an employee, manager or the person in charge of your file, or write to us at the address below:

Desjardins Securities
1170, Rue Peel
Suite 300
Montreal, Quebec H3B 0A9

2. If you’re not satisfied with the response you received, you may contact the Desjardins Group Chief Privacy Officer:

Desjardins Group Privacy Office
100, rue des Commandeurs
LEV-100-6e-A
Lévis, Quebec G6V 7N5
cpo@desjardins.com

You must provide your name and contact information, the nature of your request, the name of the department or person you have already contacted and any relevant information.

If you wish, you may also contact the appropriate provincial or federal privacy commissioner.

Use of cookies

Cookies are used on our site. They identify your browser software when you move from site to site or page to page during a Web session. This information can then be used to identify you and facilitate your access to a site and your ability to navigate within our site. Cookies can only be read by the website that sends them to your computer.

When you access our site directly or through a publicity redirecting to our site, a cookie file is automatically created in your computer. Our server and possibly third party ad servers can access this file in order to improve your experience on our site and in some instances promote our products. While they enable the site to identify you as a specific user, they don’t recognize you by your name or other personal information. No personal information is collected through cookies.

We may collect information for statistical purposes, for instance, to determine a page's popularity, the average number of pages accessed per visitor, and the average time each visitor spends on the site. Cookies may also allow us to display Desjardins Securities publicity if you access an external site which displays those publicities.

We use two types of cookies:

Session cookies: these are not stored on your hard drive and are deleted when you log off our site.
Persistent cookies: these are stored on your hard drive and recalled at your next visit. They are stored as text files in order to preclude any viruses or programs from accessing your data.

To access all parts of our website, your browser must accept cookies. If your browser is set up to refuse cookies, you can change the Internet settings in your web browser to allow cookies. If you do not allow cookies, some pages may not function properly and some features may not be available.

Google Analytics

Desjardins uses Google Analytics on Desjardins websites (hereinafter "Sites") and Desjardins mobile applications (hereinafter "Applications"). The service is provided by Google Inc. (hereinafter "Google"). Desjardins uses first-party identifiers and third-party identifiers in conjunction with third-party vendors. Google Analytics uses cookies and other unique identifiers, which are anonymous identifiers placed on your computer material. They help Desjardins to analyze your use of the Sites and Applications. The traffic data collected through cookies and other unique identifiers particularly pertains to your use of the Sites and Applications (including your IP address). Google transmits the data and stocks it on servers in the United States. Google may share this data with third parties where legally obligated or when a third party is processing data for a Google account. No information allowing Google to identify you will be transmitted.

Google will use the information collected to:

analyze your use of the Sites and Applications
compile reports on Site and Application activity
provide other services related to Site and Application activity as well as Internet use

DoubleClick

DoubleClick is a cookie that Google Analytics uses to collect anonymous information. Google Analytics' Advertising Features on sites that use DoubleClick include:

Remarketing using Google Analytics
Google Display Network Impression Reporting
DoubleClick platform integrations and Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting

User ID

Google Analytics uses the User ID feature on the Sites and Applications. The feature makes it possible to associate information regarding relationships between various computer tools and several sessions with unique identifiers. Each User ID represents an individual anonymous user in Google Analytics.

Deactivation

When browsing, you can deactivate Google Analytics and/or DoubleClick by selecting the appropriate browser or computer tool parameters, advertising parameters, mobile advertisement parameters or other, notably the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

By using the Sites or Applications, you expressly agree to allow Google to process personal data under the conditions and for the purposes outlined above.

Links to third party web sites

The Desjardins Securities websites may at times contain links to external, third party sites or parts of external sites. Desjardins Securities has no control over the content and reliability of these sites, or over their policies regarding confidentiality. As a result, all personal information that you transmit via these sites is subject to the prevailing privacy laws. It is your responsibility to be aware of the law in order to ensure the privacy of your personal information.

Security Tips & Fraud Prevention

Maintaining your account's security is our top priority. To supplement our security measures, there are certain steps that you should take to help protect your account from fraud.

Passwords

Never share your password: If you believe someone has learned your password, please change it immediately.
Create a secure password: Your password must be 6 to 64 characters long and contain at least one number, one uppercase and one lowercase letter. Special characters, punctuation and spaces are accepted but not required. Avoid choosing obvious words or dates such as a nickname or your birth date.
Keep your password unique: Don't use the same password for Desjardins Securities and other online services such as your bank access. Using the same password for multiple websites increases the probability that someone could learn your password and gain access to your account.

Secure emails

Look for a personal Greeting: Desjardins Securities will never send an email with the greeting "Dear Client" or "Dear Member." Authentic emails will address you by your first and last name or the business name associated with your account.
Don't share personal information via email: We will never ask you to enter your password or financial information within an email or send such information by email.
Don't download attachments: Desjardins Securities will never send you an attachment or software update to install on your computer.

Fraudulent Emails (Phishing):

Phishing is a technique used with the intent of obtaining sensitive information from the victims (password, credit card number, date of birth, etc.) by letting them think that they are communicating with a trustworthy third party (bank, administration, etc.).

Please do not reply to an email requesting, for example, an update of your personal information. This type of email is fraudulent.

You can forward the email to the following address to inform VMD of the fraud attempt: protection@desjardins.com

Additional Resources

"Prevent Fraud - External link. This link will open in a new window.", published by the Autorité des marchés financiers.

A number of websites provide further information on internet security and safe surfing. Your internet service provider's website can be a good resource. If you use a Windows based operating system, you may also wish to visit Microsoft's Security page: http://www.microsoft.com/security/ - External link. This link will open in a new window.