Privacy and Cookies

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This Policy explains how cookies are used enterprise-wide on Scotiabank's website(s). In this Agreement, "we", "our" and "us" mean, as applicable, any Scotiabank company, subsidiary or any program or joint venture any of these parties participates in (otherwise referred to as "affiliates"); "you" and "your" means an individual who has visited any Scotiabank website. This Policy may be amended from time to time. By using this site you agree to the placement of cookies on your computer in accordance with the terms of this Policy. If you do not wish to accept cookies from Scotiabank's site(s) please take the required steps to disable cookies.

1. What are Cookies?

A "cookie" is a piece of data that a web server creates when you visit a web site. This data is information about how and when you use a site. It is placed on your computer, smartphone, smart TV or tablet ("online device") in the form of a small text file. The information cannot be used to identify you personally. Cookies do not collect personal information such as your name, address, telephone number, or email address.

There are two main types of cookies:

  • Session cookies: these are temporary cookies that expire when you leave the site. Session cookies allow the website to recognize you as you navigate between pages during a single browser session and allow you to use the website most efficiently. For example, session cookies enable a website to remember that a user has placed items in an online basket.
  • Persistent cookies: in contrast to session cookies, persistent cookies are stored on your online device between browsing sessions until expiry or deletion. They therefore enable the website to "recognize" you on your return, remember your preferences, and tailor services to you.

We use both session cookies and persistent cookies on our website. The benefit of enabling cookies is that it will allow your use of Scotiabank's website(s) to be faster, easier and tailored to your interests.

2. Why we use Cookies

Many cookies are designed to give you optimal usage of the web. For example, we use cookies to collect information about your activity on our websites to enable us to improve your user experience when using our websites, e.g. a cookie which recognizes if your browser supports specific technology features. This helps, for example, in enabling web pages to be loaded more quickly when you request the download of a large file. The information that we collect and share is not personally identifiable. It does not include your name, address, telephone number or email address.

We use cookies on this website for the following purposes:

  • To collect statistical information: We use cookies to collect statistical information on how you use our websites for statistical and evaluation purposes to help us understand how users use the website and help us improve the structure of our website.
  • Engagement: We use cookies to collect non-identifiable information to gain a better understanding of customer behaviours on our website(s) to develop engagement strategies to better serve you. This data may be matched with internal customer information to provide you with services that better reflect your needs.
  • Advertising: We also use this information to deliver online offers, Scotiabank advertisements tailored to you or that may be of interest to you on third party websites, for remarketing or retargeting purposes, and to improve your customer experience on our sites. For more information on interest-based advertising see Section 4 (Interest-based Advertising) below.
  • Scotia OnLine® Express Sign-on feature (Save my ScotiaCard®): You can select to have a cookie securely store your ScotiaCard Number and an optional Nickname. This allows you to access your accounts faster and more conveniently. You cannot store your passwords.
  • Authenticating your computer: We use cookies to gather information such as IP Address and Browser type to authenticate you and your computer.
  • Security and verification: To help us maintain security and verify your details whilst you use the website as you navigate from page to page, which enables you to avoid having to re-enter your details each time you enter a new page.
  • Personalized Content: To remember how you have customized your use of this site, such as your preferred currency and time zone. 

3. Use of Third Parties

We may use third party providers, such as Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics, to help collect and compile information like the number of visitors to our site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visit. Our third party providers may also use cookies to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests and to help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign.

These third parties may collect your IP address or device identifier on the date you visit a site, but not your name or other identifying information. We do not combine information collected through the use of these third party providers with other personal information we may have about you.

Third party providers have their own cookie and privacy policies. Google's ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy. Likewise, Adobe's ability to use and share information collected by Adobe Analytics is restricted by the Adobe Privacy Policy

4. Interest-based Advertising

Interest-based advertising allows us to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests. It works by showing you advertisements that are based on your browsing patterns and the way you have interacted with this and other sites.

As you browse our site(s), some of the cookies placed on your computer will be advertising cookies, so we can understand what sort of pages you are interested in. We can then display advertising on your browser that is based on these perceived interests. These cookies do not contain personal or financial information about you, but may contain a unique identifier required by the retargeting process. If you access one of these ads, we may also track the response rate and the website activity associated with it.

We also work with third party advertising providers who collect and use information about your visits to this and other sites (but not your name, email address, postal address or phone number) to show you advertising that may be of interest to you. This includes the advertising displayed on our sites and the Scotiabank advertising you may be shown when you are on other third party websites.

5. Opting-Out 

As part of our commitment to fair information practices, Scotiabank is a participant and supporter of the Digital Advertising Alliance's "AdChoices" initiative to allow you to opt out of the use of information about your activities on other websites to provide you with Interest-based advertising.

AdChoices is a self-regulatory programme that requires participating companies to include an AdChoices icon in any ads that use interest-based advertising. It's intended to provide consumers with greater transparency around interest-based advertising and to give them the ability to opt-out of this type of targeting. You can learn more at www.youradchoices.ca. You can also click on the AdChoices icon which appears at the bottom of our websites or ads. In all countries where AdChoices exists, Scotiabank participates.

You can opt out of Adobe Analytics, and out of interest-based Adobe ads using Adobe Opt Out Settings.

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing Google's opt-out browser add-on, and out of interest-based Google ads using Google's Ads Settings.

Even if you opt out, you may still receive Scotiabank advertising. It just means that the advertising you see will not be customised for you.

6. Refusing Cookies

You can limit the collection of your information by disabling cookies on your browser. You may also be able to modify your browser settings to require your permission each time a site attempts to set a cookie. However, our website(s) (and many other websites) rely on cookies to enable certain functionality. If you choose to disable cookies, some of the services available on our website may not work properly.

7. Non-Scotiabank Websites and Links

Our websites may contain links to non-Scotiabank websites. We are not responsible for the practices of those third party websites. Where you access other websites from our sites using the links provided, the operators of these websites may use cookies in accordance with their own cookies policy, which may differ from ours. You should read their privacy and cookie policies carefully before you provide any personal information to them. 

8. Mobile Applications

We offer mobile applications or services that use information about your location. If you choose to use such applications or services, we may, if the settings on your mobile device allow us, collect information about your location (for example, GPS signals) to provide you with services you request. Please also refer to the Scotiabank Mobile Banking Terms and Conditions.

9. Caution regarding automatic Cookie Functionality 

Browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer allow you to store passwords and logon IDs so you do not need to re-enter this information each time you access a web site. Scotiabank strongly urges you NOT to use this functionality to prevent unauthorized use of your online banking access code(s). 

10. Scotiabank's Commitment to Privacy 

The Scotiabank Privacy Agreement explains how Scotiabank protects the privacy of individual customers' personal information and your right to tell the Bank at any time to stop using information about you to promote Scotiabank services or the products and services of select third parties. A copy of the Scotiabank Group Privacy Agreement can also be obtained from any Scotiabank branch.

11. Changes

We may change this Policy from time to time. We will display the changed Policy on our website. We encourage you to visit this area frequently to stay informed.