Thank you for visiting the Senior Gateway website and reviewing our Privacy Notice. The Senior Gateway wants you to know about the collection, use, security, and access to information that may be obtained through use of this web portal. By visiting this web site, you are accepting the policies and practices described in this Notice. This Notice covers the following topics:

• Personal Information and Choice
• A Special Note about Children
• Information Collected and How it is Used
• What Happens to Information You Submit to Us
• Use of Internet Request for Assistance Form Information
• Surveys
• If You Send Us E-mail
• Public Disclosure
• Automatic Collection of Information/Cookies
• Security
• Links to Other Sites
• Limitation of Liability
• Ownership

 

Personal information and choice

"Personal information" is information about a natural person that is readily identifiable to that specific individual. Pursuant to Civil Code 1798.3(a), personal information includes, but is not limited to, such information as an individual's name, address, and phone number. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information, however, it is considered "electronically collected personal information".

According to Government Code § 11015.5, "Electronically collected personal information" means any information that is maintained by an agency that identifies or describes an individual user, including, but not limited to, his or her name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, medical or employment history, password, electronic mail address, and information that reveals any network location or identity, but excludes any information manually submitted to a state agency by a user, whether electronically or in written form, and information on or relating to individuals who are users, serving in a business capacity, including, but not limited to, business owners, officers, or principals of that business.

The only "electronically collected personal information" we automatically collect is your domain name or Internet Protocol address. If you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for specific information (i.e. completing a request for assistance, sending an e-mail or participating in a survey) more detailed data will be collected. If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature of the Senior Gateway website.

If any type of personal information is requested on the website or volunteered by the user, state law and the federal Privacy Act of 1974 (Civil Code §1798 et seq. Government Code §11015.5(a)(5)) may protect it. However, this information may be a public record once you provide it, and may be subject to public inspection and copying if not otherwise protected by federal or state law.

A Special Note about Children

Children are not eligible to use our services and we ask that minors (under the age of 18) do not submit any personal information to us. If you are a minor, you can use these services only if used together with your parents or guardians.

If the state decides to begin collecting personal information from children, it will notify parents that it is being requested, disclose the reasons for collecting it, and disclose our intended use for it. The state will seek parental consent before collecting any personally identifiable information. If it does collect it, parents may request information on the type of data being collected, view their child's information and, if they choose, prohibit the state from making further use of their child's information. The state will not provide personal information about children to third parties.

Government Code § 11015.5 (6) prohibits Senior Gateway and all state agencies from distributing or selling any electronically collected personal information as defined above, about users to any third party without the permission of the user. Senior Gateway does not sell any "electronically collected personal information." Any distribution of "electronically collected personal information" will be solely for the purposes for which it was provided to us.

The Senior Gateway may provide or distribute certain lists and statistical reports of regulatory information as provided by law, but no personal information is sold or distributed, and all relevant legal protections still apply to the State's web sites. 

Information collected and how it is used

If you do nothing during your visit to the Senior Gateway’s website, but browse or download information, we automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:

1. The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used but not the e-mail address. The Internet Protocol address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer. We use the Internet Protocol Address to direct Internet traffic to you;
2. The type of browser and operating system you used;
3. The date and time you visited this site;
4. The web pages or services you accessed at this site; and
5. The website you visited prior to coming to this website.
6. If you downloaded a form, the form that was downloaded.

 

The information we automatically collect or store is used to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how people are using our services. This information is used for gathering website statistics. The information we automatically collect and store in our logs about your visit helps us to analyze our website to continually improve the value of the materials available. We make no attempt to link other websites with the individuals that browse Senior Gateway’s website.

What happens to information you submit to us?

If you choose to submit information to us the information will be transmitted through secure lines to our departmental database. Any private information will only be used for the purposes for which it was provided and will not be shared with another entity except as prescribed by law.

Surveys

If during your visit to Senior Gateway’s website you participate in a survey or send an e-mail, the following additional information will be collected:

1. The e-mail address and contents of the e-mail; and
2. Information volunteered in response to the survey.

 

The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats you send us.

The information is retained in accordance with Government Code § 11015.5.

If you send us e-mail

You may choose to provide us with personal information, as in e-mail with a comment or question. We use the information to improve our service to you or to respond to your request. Sometimes we forward your e-mail to other State employees who may be better able to help you, and this staff may be employed by a different agency within the State. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations or, as required by law, we do not share our e-mail with any other organizations.

We use your e-mail to respond appropriately. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve our web site, or to forward the e-mail to another agency for appropriate action.

Public Disclosure

In the State of California, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by state government. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's right to access public records. These exceptions serve various needs including maintaining the privacy of individuals. Both state and federal laws provide exceptions.

All information collected at this site becomes public record that may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless an exemption in law exists. In the event of a conflict between this Privacy Notice and the Public Records Act, the Information Practices Act or other law governing the disclosure of records, the Public Records Act, the Information Practices Act or other applicable law will control.

Personal Information

Under Government Code § 11015.5., if you choose, you may have any personal information collected about you discarded without reuse or distribution, provided we are contacted in a timely fashion.

Automatic collection of information/Cookies

Cookies are simple text files stored on your computer by your web browser. Unlike the common usage of cookies, Senior Gateway only uses cookies during the session in which you access our interactive applications.

Cookies created on your computer by using this website do not contain "personal information" and do not compromise your privacy or security. We use the cookie feature only to store a randomly generated identifying temporary tag on your computer. You can refuse the cookie or delete the cookie file from your computer by using any of the widely available methods. However, if you turn your cookie option off you will not be able to access our interactive applications.

Security

The Department of Insurance (CDI), as developer, manager, and host of this website, has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its telecommunications and computing infrastructure, including but not limited to authentication, monitoring, auditing, and encryption. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day practices of the entire CDI operating environment as part of its continuing commitment to risk management. This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided via CDI's supported website.

Links to Other Sites

Our web site has links to sites we feel might be useful to you and which may provide services. When you link to another site, you are no longer on our site and are subject to the privacy policy of the new site.

The Senior Gateway accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of the external websites or external documents linked to on this website.

This web site and the information it contains are provided as a public service by the Senior Gateway. This system is monitored to ensure proper operation, to verify the functioning of applicable security features, and for comparable purposes. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring. Unauthorized attempts to modify any information stored on this system, to defeat or circumvent security features, or to utilize this system for other than its intended purposes are prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution.

Limitation of Liability

The Senior Gateway attempts to maintain the highest accuracy of content on its web site. Any errors or omissions should be reported for investigation.

Senior Gateway makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the absolute accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this web site and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this web site. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to the contents of this website or its hyperlinks to other Internet resources. References or links in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name are for the information and convenience of the public, and do not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the State of California, or its employees or agents.

Ownership

Information presented on this website, unless otherwise indicated, is considered in the public domain. It may be distributed or copied as permitted by law. In order to use any information on this website not owned or created by Senior Gateway you must seek permission directly from the owning (or holding) sources. Senior Gateway shall have the unlimited right to use for any purpose, free of any charge, all information submitted to us via this site except those submissions made under separate legal contract. Senior Gateway shall be free to use, for any purpose, any ideas, concepts, or techniques contained in information provided to us through this site. The use of Senior Gateway logos, emblems and/or seals without prior authorization is prohibited.