At The Great-West Life Assurance Company ("Great-West Life"), we recognize and respect the importance of security. This Internet Security Statement covers the measures that Great-West Life takes to help secure your personal information. This Internet Security Statement is subject to change without notice to you, so we recommend that you review it regularly. By using this site you acknowledge that you have read and understand this Internet Security Statement as amended from time to time.

Encryption
Cookies
Time-outs and automatic log-outs
E-mail fraud
Other security measures
Security tips you can use

Encryption

Encryption technology is designed to secure personal and confidential communications between your computer and Great-West Life servers, such that they are protected from being read by any third parties. This is achieved by "scrambling" communications so that they are unreadable by anyone other than Great-West Life or yourself. Great-West Life web applications require 128-bit SSL encryption - the standard for encrypting and safeguarding websites. You can verify that a Great-West Life website is encrypted by looking for the golden lock or key icon along the bottom of your browser window, which is used by most browsers to indicate a secure connection.

Cookies

"Cookies" are small items of data that websites store in your browser. These data files contain information the site can use to track and organize the pages you have visited, and to gather information. Some Great-West Life websites use "cookie" technology to measure site activity and tailor information to fit your personal interests. This helps us deliver a superior website experience that is fast, secure and personalized. Great-West Life uses only "session" cookies; cookies placed by Great-West Life are deleted as soon as you close your browser, helping to further protect your privacy and security.

Time-outs and automatic log outs

Some Great-West Life websites may require you to log in using a user name and password. While you are logged in, if you leave your browser window open, Great-West Life applications will automatically log you out after 25 minutes of inactivity. Similarly, if you close your browser window without logging out, you will be automatically logged out. Both of these measures are designed to protect your information from unintended access by a passerby or different user of your computer.

E-mail fraud

Be cautious of e-mail and websites purporting to represent a legitimate company and that ask you to provide confidential or financial information. It is not Great-West Life's practice to e-mail you to ask you to provide or confirm your PIN, password, or other confidential or financial information, other than as may occur in response to an inquiry from you. If you receive such a request, or have any concern as to the validity of an e-mail from Great-West Life, a website purporting to be a Great-West Life website, or our online security, please notify us immediately. Please attach any suspicious e-mail in its original form, or in the case of a website please include the URL (address of the website) in your notification.

For information on various types of e-mail fraud please visit the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada's website at www.psepc.gc.ca/prg/le/bs/phish-en.asp.

Other security measures

Great-West Life engages in a number of other security activities to help ensure the safety and privacy of your personal information. This includes adopting measures to help secure our computers against hacker attacks and virus activities by a number of different means. We monitor our website, servers and data 24 hours a day to help us immediately identify and rectify any problems.

Security tips you can use

You can also contribute to the security of your information by following a few straightforward principles:

1. For Great-West Life sites requiring a password:
• Pick a password that is unique and hard for others to guess. A strong password includes a combination of upper- and lower-case letters and numbers. Avoid passwords such as family or pet names, birthdays, or words found in dictionaries.
• Memorize your password, and don't tell it to anyone. Remember no one from Great-West Life will ever call or e-mail asking for your password.
• If you think anyone has had access to your password, change it immediately by logging in and clicking the "Your Profile" tab and then click the "Change Your Password" link. Follow the simple instructions to change your password.
• If you are using a computer in a public place (such as an Internet café, or an open desk at work), ensure that no one can see you type in your password, log off when you are finished using the site and clear the browser's cache.
2. Run current anti-virus software and anti-spyware software on your computer. This helps ensure your computer is free of malicious programs such as viruses, worms and spyware (snooping software that collects and shares confidential information on your computer with a third party without your consent).
3. After using a Great-West Life application, clear your browser's cache and then close it. The cache is where a browser keeps copies of the web pages you have recently visited. By clearing it, you help ensure no one else can view these pages, including the next website you visit.

©The Great-West Life Assurance Company 2004-