Privacy Policy

Orange County Chinese Community Service, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation ("OCCCS," "we," "us," or "our"), operates the OCHelpNow program and respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information when you use our website, mobile application, and services at www.ochelpnow.com (the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to this Policy.

If you need this Policy in another language, in large print, or in another accessible format, contact info@occcs.org or call 949-636-9906 and we will provide it at no cost. See Sections 18 and 19.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This Policy applies to everyone who uses OCHelpNow:

• Requesters — adults who ask for help through the Service;

• Family members and authorized representatives — people who use the Service on behalf of, or alongside, a requester;

• Volunteers — community members who offer help through the Service without payment.

Where a family member, caregiver, or authorized representative gives us information about a requester, this Policy applies to that information as well.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Give Us

• Account and contact information: name, phone number, email address, mailing or home address, preferred language, and emergency contact information.

• Requester information: what help you need, your schedule, household access and mobility considerations, preferences, and any health-related detail you choose to share that is relevant to receiving help (for example, that you use a walker or have a dietary restriction).

• Volunteer information: identity and contact details, availability, languages, skills and experience, and information used for verification, which may include date of birth, government-issued identification, driver’s license and automobile insurance information, and background-check information.

• Communications: messages and requests you send through the Service, feedback, and support inquiries.

• Credit records: hours volunteered, credit balances, transfers you make or receive, and what credits were used for.

We do not collect payment card information. OCHelpNow is free, and OCCCS does not process payments for the help arranged through it.

Information We Collect Automatically

• Device and usage data: IP address, device type and identifiers, browser, operating system, pages or screens viewed, and interactions with the Service.

• Location data: approximate or precise geolocation, used to show you nearby requests or volunteers and to coordinate an in-person visit. Precise geolocation is treated as Sensitive Personal Information (see Section 3). You can turn off precise location in your device settings, though some features may not work.

• Cookies and similar technologies: see Section 9.

Information From Third Parties

• Background-check and identity-verification providers (for volunteers).

• Referral and community partners who connect someone to the program.

• Family members, caregivers, or authorized representatives who give us information on behalf of a requester.

3. Sensitive Personal Information

Some information we collect is considered "Sensitive Personal Information" under California law. Depending on how you use the Service, this may include precise geolocation, health-related information you choose to share, racial or ethnic origin (which may be inferred from language preference or information you provide), and government-issued identifiers such as a driver’s license number.

We collect Sensitive Personal Information only as necessary to run and safeguard the program, handle it with additional care, and do not use or disclose it for purposes other than those described in this Policy. We do not use it for targeted advertising or profiling. You may ask us to limit our use of Sensitive Personal Information (see Section 12).

4. Biometric Information

OCCCS does not collect facial-recognition data, fingerprints, voiceprints, or other biometric identifiers through OCHelpNow.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to:

• run the program, including showing requests to volunteers, scheduling, and coordinating visits;

• verify identities and screen volunteers;

• communicate with you about requests, program updates, support, and safety notices;

• promote safety, prevent fraud, and protect people — particularly vulnerable people — from harm, including abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation;

• maintain and improve the program, and produce aggregate or de-identified statistics about how it is used, including for grant reporting;

• comply with legal obligations, including mandated reporting, and enforce our Terms; and

• carry out any other purpose with your consent.

Where we hold information in de-identified or aggregated form, we will not try to re-identify it except to test whether our de-identification methods meet our legal obligations.

Automated decision-making. We do not use automated decision-making or profiling to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you. The Service does not match, assign, rank, or recommend volunteers: requests are shown to volunteers who have signed up for that category and area, volunteers choose whether to respond, and the requester chooses among those who do.

6. Communications: Operational and Promotional

Operational communications. We and volunteers coordinating your help may contact you by phone, text message, or email to confirm a request, coordinate arrival, notify you of a change, respond to questions, or send safety notices. These are necessary to run the program and are not marketing.

Fundraising and promotional communications. We send promotional or fundraising text messages and automated or prerecorded calls only with your prior express written consent, as required by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and applicable state law. That consent is never a condition of receiving help.

Opting out. Reply STOP to any such text message, or use the unsubscribe link in any email. Opting out does not stop operational messages about help you have requested.

7. Call Recording and Message Retention

California is a two-party consent state. We do not record telephone calls unless we tell you at the beginning of the call that it is being recorded and you choose to continue. If we begin recording support calls for quality or safety purposes, we will give that notice on every recorded call, and you may ask that the call not be recorded.

Messages sent through the Service between requesters and volunteers are transmitted through and kept on our systems, and may be reviewed by authorized staff where necessary to look into a safety concern, a report of abuse, or a violation of our Terms.

8. How We Share Your Information

Sharing between requesters and volunteers. We share only what is reasonably necessary for a volunteer and a requester to coordinate a visit. Before a request is accepted, a volunteer sees only a general area, such as a neighborhood or ZIP code, and a description of the help requested. A precise address, access instructions, and direct phone number are disclosed only after the request is accepted, and are hidden from the volunteer’s view a reasonable period after the visit is complete. Volunteers are prohibited by the Volunteer Agreement from saving, copying, or forwarding a requester’s information, and must delete contact details from their own devices once a visit is complete. Please share only what is necessary, and be cautious about disclosing sensitive personal or financial details to anyone.

We also share information with:

• Service providers and vendors who support the program (for example, hosting, analytics, communications, and background checks), under contracts that limit their use of the information to performing services for us;

• Professional advisors such as accountants, auditors, and insurers, where necessary and consistent with this Policy;

• Funders and grantmakers, in aggregate or de-identified form only, for program reporting. We do not disclose identifiable information about a requester or volunteer to a funder without that person’s consent;

• Law enforcement, Adult Protective Services, or other authorities when we believe it is necessary to comply with law, respond to legal process, or protect the safety of a person or the public, including in cases of suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an older or dependent adult. Certain of our personnel and volunteers may be mandated reporters under California Welfare and Institutions Code section 15630, and we may make such reports without your consent where the law requires it;

• Parties to an organizational transfer, such as a merger, reorganization, or dissolution of OCCCS; and

• Other parties with your consent.

WE DO NOT SELL YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION, AND WE DO NOT SHARE IT FOR CROSS-CONTEXT BEHAVIORAL ADVERTISING, AS THOSE TERMS ARE DEFINED UNDER CALIFORNIA LAW. WE DO NOT USE HEALTH-RELATED INFORMATION FOR MARKETING OR FUNDRAISING.

9. Cookies, Analytics, and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Service, remember your preferences, and understand how it is used:

• Essential cookies: required for the Service to function.

• Performance and analytics cookies: help us understand how the Service is used, diagnose problems, and improve it.

• Functional cookies: remember your language and accessibility preferences.

We do not use advertising or targeting cookies. You can control cookies through your browser or device settings and through the cookie banner on your first visit, and can change your choices at any time using the "Cookie Settings" link in our footer. Disabling non-essential cookies will not affect the operation of the Service.

Opt-out preference signals. We recognize and honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) and other opt-out preference signals sent by your browser or device.

10. Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, then delete or de-identify it. Our current retention periods are:

We may keep information longer where required to comply with a legal obligation, resolve a dispute, respond to a subpoena or agency request, or enforce our agreements. Backup copies are deleted on our regular backup cycle.

11. Data Security and Breach Notification

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including access controls limiting staff and volunteer access to what their role requires. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials confidential and should tell us promptly about any unauthorized use.

If we determine that unencrypted personal information has been acquired by an unauthorized person, we will notify affected California residents as required by California Civil Code sections 1798.29 and 1798.82, in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay.

12. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

A note on how these rights apply. The California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act apply to for-profit businesses meeting statutory thresholds. OCCCS is a nonprofit public benefit corporation, so those laws generally do not apply to us. We offer the rights below anyway, as a matter of practice, because the people we serve deserve the same control over their information that they would have elsewhere.

Subject to reasonable exceptions, you may exercise:

• The right to know and access the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected, the sources, the purposes, the retention periods, and the categories of third parties to whom we disclose it;

• The right to delete personal information we have collected from you;

• The right to correct inaccurate personal information;

• The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (we do not sell or share personal information);

• The right to limit the use and disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information;

• The right to data portability — to receive a copy of your information in a portable, machine-readable format; and

• The right not to be treated differently for exercising a right. We will never withhold, delay, or reduce help because you exercised a privacy right.

Categories of Personal Information We Collect

How to Exercise Your Rights

Submit a request to info@occcs.org, or call 949-636-9906. We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before responding, which may include confirming information already associated with your account. We use information you give us for verification only for that purpose.

Response timing. We will confirm receipt within 10 business days and respond to a verified request within 45 calendar days. Where necessary, we may extend that period by an additional 45 days and will tell you about the extension and the reason for it.

Authorized agents. You may use an authorized agent to submit a request for you. We may require written authorization signed by you, verification of your identity, and confirmation directly from you that you gave the agent permission.

Appeals. If we deny your request in whole or in part, you may appeal by emailing info@occcs.org with "Appeal" in the subject line. We will respond within 45 days with our decision and the reasons for it.

Shine the Light. We do not share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.

13. Authorized Representatives and Caregivers

Because some requesters rely on others to manage their affairs, a family member, caregiver, conservator, or person holding a power of attorney may, with appropriate authorization, manage an account or exercise privacy rights on a requester’s behalf. We may ask for documentation confirming authority before acting on such a request.

Where a requester has capacity and has asked us to do so, we will limit what we disclose to a representative. If we receive conflicting instructions from a requester and a representative, we will follow the requester’s instructions unless a court order or valid legal authority provides otherwise.

14. Residents of Other States

If you live in a state with a comprehensive privacy law, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, and obtain a portable copy of your personal information, to opt out of targeted advertising, sale, and certain profiling, and to appeal a denial. We do not sell personal information, do not conduct targeted advertising, and do not engage in profiling with legal or similarly significant effects. To exercise any of these rights, contact info@occcs.org using the process in Section 12.

15. Consumer Health Data Laws

Some state laws — notably Washington’s My Health My Data Act and Nevada SB 370 — define "consumer health data" broadly enough to include health-related details you share with us and precise geolocation that could indicate the receipt of health services.

OCHelpNow operates in Orange County, California and is not directed to residents of those states. If you are a resident of one of them and we collect consumer health data about you, we collect it only to provide the help you request and to verify identity; we share it only with service providers acting on our behalf; and we do not sell it. You may confirm whether we hold such data, access it along with a list of third parties with whom it was shared, request deletion, withdraw consent, and appeal a denial by contacting info@occcs.org.

16. Age Restrictions

The Service is intended for adults 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we learn that we have, we will delete it. If you believe someone under 18 has given us information, contact info@occcs.org.

17. Health-Related Information and HIPAA

OCHelpNow is not a healthcare provider, health plan, or healthcare clearinghouse, and is not a "covered entity" or "business associate" under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA therefore generally does not govern information collected through the Service. Even so, we treat any health-related information you choose to share as Sensitive Personal Information and protect it accordingly, and we do not use it for marketing or fundraising. Please share only the health-related information necessary to receive appropriate help.

If OCCCS later provides services under contract with a health plan, provider, or other covered entity and in doing so handles protected health information, we will act as a business associate for those services, and the applicable business associate agreement and HIPAA will govern rather than this Policy. Other laws, including California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, may also apply to certain information.

18. Language Access

OCCCS serves multilingual communities in Orange County. We make this Policy, our Terms and Conditions, and key materials available in Chinese and English, and will provide a translation in another language on request where practical.

Where we present our Terms and Conditions to you primarily in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean — including through staff or volunteers who help you enroll — you are entitled to a translation of those terms in that language under California Civil Code section 1632, and we will provide it before asking you to agree. We record the language you select at registration so we can communicate with you in it.

Except where a translation is required by law to control, the English version of this Policy governs in the event of a conflict. To request this Policy or submit a privacy request in another language, contact info@occcs.org or call 949-636-9906.

19. Accessibility

We work to make the Service usable by people with disabilities, including those using screen readers, magnification, and voice control, and we aim to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. If you need this Policy or any part of the Service in an alternative accessible format — large print, plain-language summary, audio, or read aloud over the phone — contact info@occcs.org or call 949-636-9906 and we will provide it at no cost. If you run into an accessibility barrier, please tell us so we can fix it.

20. Third-Party Links and Services

The Service may link to third-party websites, community resources, or services we do not control. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and a link is not an endorsement. Review their privacy policies before giving them information.

21. Where Your Information Is Processed

We operate in the United States, and your information is processed and stored in the United States. If you use the Service from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to and handled in the United States as described in this Policy.

22. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the Effective Date and, where the changes are material, give additional notice by email to the address associated with your account or by notice within the Service before the changes take effect. Prior versions are available on request.

23. Contact Us

Orange County Chinese Community Service — OCHelpNow program

Email: info@occcs.org | Telephone: 949-636-9906

Websites: www.ochelpnow.com | www.occcs.org