Surfing in Québec.ca
Québec.ca contains links to external sites. The government is not responsible for the content of those sites, nor for their privacy-related practices.
Cookies and Website Measurement
Québec.ca uses Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity, which are tools for measuring web audiences and analyzing visits to a website. Using cookies, Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity collect information about your browsing; on some or all pages of the website. This information is used for statistical purposes to improve your experience.
This information includes:
- the truncated IP address of your computer (your IP address is modified, which prevents you from connecting to it),
- your internet service provider,
- the operating system (e.g. Mac OS, Windows),
- the type and model of device (e.g. iPhone 11),
- the screen resolution of the device,
- browser type and language (e.g. Chrome, Safari),
- the region or municipality, determined from the IP address,
- the domain of the previous site visited (e.g.: lapresse.ca),
- the point of origin (e.g. banner, email, social network, etc.)
- the pages consulted on Québec.ca (the consultation sequence, the interactions on the page, the date, time, duration and frequency of your visits and your activities (clicks, screen scrolling, etc.).) .
It is possible to configure your browser to block cookies, but this could affect your browsing experience.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a web analytics service that provides basic statistics and analytical tools. This data helps with search engine optimization (SEO).
The information is stored in particular in the United States. Google may communicate them to third parties, in the event of a legal obligation, or when processing them on their behalf. The information is also shared on the Government of Quebec's Google Ads and Google Search Console accounts.
Google advertising cookies are also used to collect demographic information and information on the centers of interest of Internet users. This information cannot be associated with a person. Google will never link the information collected with any other data or other information it maintains.
For more information on the information collected by Google and how it is used, see its Privacy and Terms .
If you wish, you can prevent Google from recording your browsing information by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on on your computer. On mobile, you can use a private browser or use "incognito" mode.
Microsoft Clarity
Microsoft Clarity is a behavioral analysis tool that provides, for example, dashboards and heatmaps of website pages. This data makes it possible to better understand how users interact with the site and to more easily target the improvements to be made to the interfaces.
All information collected using the Microsoft Clarity tool is stored in the Microsoft Azure cloud service in the United States or any other country in which Microsoft or its contractors operate.
Microsoft may share data with its affiliates:
- when required by law,
- to respond to legal proceedings,
- to protect its customers,
- to protect human lives,
- to maintain the safety of its products,
- to protect the rights and property of Microsoft and its customers.
Microsoft collects certain data for use in connection with Microsoft Advertising. Microsoft Clarity cookies are also used to collect interaction information such as clicks, scrolling, mouse movement, etc. This information cannot be associated with a person. All user-provided information in input boxes (e.g. phone numbers or email addresses) is masked by default and not collected.
Microsoft Clarity retains recordings for 30 days from the date of recording. However, heatmaps, favorite recordings, and some randomly selected recordings can be retained for up to 13 months.
For more information about what information Microsoft collects and how it is used, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement .
To prevent Microsoft Clarity from tracking your page views when you visit websites that use Microsoft Clarity, Microsoft uses a system designed by the Digital Advertising Alliance. To do this, you can disable Microsoft Clarity telemetry by selecting Microsoft in the list of options or you can install the Protect My Choices
application on your browser and select your opt-out preferences. Disabling the use of cookies may affect your experience and limit access to certain features. See Microsoft Privacy Statement
for more information.
Interactions with the government
You may communicate with the government through various secure tools, including telephone and online services.
Sending information by email is not entirely secure. For this reason, the government advises you against disclosing personal information, such as your social insurance number, in emails. The government does the same, by not answering your questions via email whenever this involves transmitting confidential data.
Confidentiality
Personal information gathered by Québec.ca is handled in compliance with the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information . This Act sets out the principles to be observed in collecting, using, communicating with or without consent, storing and destroying personal information, while setting up the appropriate security measures in accordance with the nature and quantity of the information.
This information is sent to other public bodies only if the communication takes place in carrying out their mission, with the person’s consent, or if the disclosure of the information is required by law, according to the applicable legal framework. The government does not use the information to create user profiles.
Requests for access
You may submit a request for access to learn what personal information is held by public bodies. You may also make a request to have this information corrected.
Last update: March 10, 2023