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Privacy Policy

KupunaHub (aka Resource Finder) is operated by the Hawaii State Department of Health, Executive Office on Aging. We take the privacy of every visitor seriously. This page explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and what we do (and never do) with it.

Who We Are

KupunaHub is a service of the State of Hawaii Department of Health, Executive Office on Aging (EOA). The site supports two long-running Hawaii programs: SMP Hawaii (Senior Medicare Patrol) and Hawaii SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program). The site was designed and built for the EOA by RaneWorks, LLC. The project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

What Information We Collect

Information You Give Us

We collect 3 kinds of information directly from you, depending on how far you choose to go through this resource finder:

  1. The question you ask. When you describe your situation in KupunaHub, we store the topic you picked and the text you typed. This becomes the input the matching system uses to suggest relevant resources.
  2. Demographic answers. After your first question, we ask for six pieces of information: age group, gender, race, zip code, monthly household income, and whether English is your primary language. These are short fixed-choice questions, plus a five-digit zip code. They are required by the federal grant that funds the service. Several of the questions offer a "Prefer not to say" option.
  3. Contact information, only if you ask for a callback. If you choose to request a counselor follow-up after seeing your results, we ask for your first and last name and at least one way to reach you (an email address or a phone number). You may also tell us how you would like to be contacted and the best days and times to reach you. You can use the entire site without ever giving us this information.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit, our server records limited technical information about each visit:

  • A hashed version of your IP address. We compute a SHA-256 cryptographic hash of your IP and store only the hash. We never store the raw IP address. The hash lets us spot unusual traffic patterns from a single network without holding personally identifying information.
  • The browser and operating system you used. Captured from the standard User-Agent header. Used to debug device-specific problems.
  • The page you came from. The HTTP referrer, if your browser sends it. Used to understand how visitors find the site.

For core site functionality we set a standard PHP session cookie used for the duration of your browser session. We do not use advertising networks, fingerprinting tools, or cross-site trackers. For aggregate visit measurement, we use a self-hosted analytics tool that sets first-party cookies on this site only; see Web analytics below for details.

How We Use Your Information

The information you give us is used to:

  • Match your question to the most relevant resources in our catalog.
  • Pre-fill the demographic and contact forms on follow-up questions in the same browser session, so you do not have to retype your details.
  • Route a counselor callback to the right state program staff (SMP Hawaii, Hawaii SHIP, or both, depending on your question).
  • Report aggregate counts and demographics to the Administration for Community Living, so the funder can confirm the program is reaching the populations it intended to serve. These aggregate reports never include names or contact information.

The information collected automatically (hashed IP, browser, referrer) is used to keep the site secure, debug technical issues, and understand how visitors find us.

How the AI Matching Works

When you submit a question, the site sends three things to RaneWorks AI (the AI matching service operated by our technology partner, RaneWorks): the topic you selected, the description you typed, and short summaries of the resources our system already considers candidates. RaneWorks AI returns suggested matches and a recommendation for which state program should follow up if you ask for a callback.

RaneWorks AI does not see:

  • Your name, email address, or phone number.
  • Your demographic answers.
  • Your IP address (raw or hashed).
  • Any previous questions you have asked in this or a prior session.

RaneWorks AI sees only the question itself and the specific resources associated with it. All traffic between this site and RaneWorks AI is encrypted via HTTPS.

Who We Share Information With

We share information narrowly and only for the purposes described above:

  • State counselor staff. When you request a callback, your contact information and the context of your question are sent to the SMP Hawaii inbox, the Hawaii SHIP inbox, or both, depending on the routing. An internal administrative copy is sent to the EOA's vendor (RaneWorks) for operational oversight.
  • The Administration for Community Living (ACL). Aggregate counts and demographics are reported to the federal funder. Identifying details (names, email addresses, phone numbers) are never included in these reports.
  • Our technology partner, RaneWorks, LLC. RaneWorks designed, built, and operates this site on behalf of the Executive Office on Aging. As part of that role, RaneWorks hosts the site, delivers our outbound email, and operates RaneWorks AI. RaneWorks processes information only as needed to deliver the service and is bound by its agreement with the State.

Who We Do NOT Share With

  • We never sell or rent your information to anyone.
  • We do not share with marketers, advertisers, or insurance carriers.
  • We do not use your information to target advertising on or off our site.
  • We do not provide your information to law enforcement except as required by valid legal process.

Web Analytics

To understand which pages and resources are being used, we operate a self-hosted web analytics tool called Matomo. The tool runs on infrastructure controlled by our technology partner, RaneWorks; your visit information is never sent to Google Analytics, Facebook, or any outside analytics vendor.

Matomo records standard web-analytics information about each visit, which may include:

  • The pages you view on this site and the order you view them in.
  • Where you arrived from (the referring website, if any).
  • Your browser, operating system, screen size, and language, as reported by your browser.
  • A general geographic location (typically country and region) derived from your IP address.
  • Time spent on the site and clicks on links that lead off the site.

Matomo sets first-party cookies in your browser. These are cookies that belong to this site only, not third-party tracking cookies. They help Matomo recognize repeat visits to KupunaHub so we can measure things like new versus returning users. They are not readable by any other website and are typically named with a _pk_ prefix.

Analytics data is used in aggregate to improve the site (for example, to learn which categories are most searched, or which pages users have trouble finding) and to support federal grant reporting on the program's reach. It is not sold, shared with advertisers, or used to build a profile of an individual visitor across the web.

Opting out. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies for a specific site; doing so for KupunaHub will prevent Matomo from recognizing your return visits. Using a private or incognito browsing window has the same effect. You can also use the contact details in the Contact us section to request that we exclude your network from analytics.

Cookies and Browser Storage

We use a standard PHP session cookie to remember your demographic answers and contact information for the duration of one browser session, so you do not have to enter them again for follow-up questions. The cookie is marked HttpOnly (not readable by JavaScript), SameSite=Lax (not sent to other domains), and Secure (sent only over HTTPS). It is automatically deleted when you close your browser.

The site also uses your browser's built-in sessionStorage to cache your most recent results for a few minutes, so that if you click into a resource and then return to the results page, you do not have to wait for a fresh search. This data lives entirely in your browser and is automatically discarded when you close the tab.

We do not use third-party cookies, web beacons, or advertising trackers. Our analytics tool (Matomo) does set first-party cookies on this site for visit measurement; see Web analytics above for what those cookies do and how to opt out.

How Long We Keep Information

  • Your question and demographic answers are kept for the life of the program, for purposes of federal grant reporting. The State is establishing a formal retention policy; this page will be updated when that policy is in place.
  • Counselor callback contact information is kept by the responsible program (SMP Hawaii or Hawaii SHIP) according to their own record-retention rules under state and federal law.
  • The hashed IP, browser, and referrer fields are retained for security and analytics purposes.

If you would like us to delete information you have submitted, please contact us using the details below. We will accommodate the request to the extent permitted by state and federal record-retention obligations.

Children's Privacy

KupunaHub is a service for adults, particularly older adults and their caregivers. The site is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided information through this site, please contact us and we will delete it.

Your Rights

Even though KupunaHub does not require an account, you have certain rights with respect to your information:

  • Access. You may ask what information we have on file about you.
  • Correction. You may ask us to correct inaccurate information.
  • Deletion. You may ask us to delete information you have submitted, subject to record-retention obligations of the State of Hawaii.
  • Withdrawal. You may stop providing information at any time. The simplest way is to close your browser; this ends your session and any in-memory information is discarded.

To make any of these requests, contact us using the details below.

How We Protect Your Information

We use industry-standard safeguards:

  • HTTPS encryption on every page of the site.
  • SHA-256 server-side hashing of IP addresses before storage.
  • Encrypted (STARTTLS) transport for all outbound email.
  • Server-side access controls and authentication on every administrative function.
  • Regular review of access logs by RaneWorks for unusual activity.

No security system is perfect. If you believe your information has been compromised in connection with this site, please contact us immediately.

Federal Civil Rights Compliance

KupunaHub complies with applicable federal civil rights laws, including Section 504 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. See the Accessibility & Language Access page for the full statement and complaint contact.

Changes to This Policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the "Last updated" date at the bottom of this page and post a notice on the home page for at least 30 days. Continued use of the site after a change indicates acceptance of the updated terms.

Contact Us

For privacy questions, requests, or complaints, contact the Executive Office on Aging:

  • Mailing address: To be supplied before launch.
  • Email: To be supplied before launch.
  • Phone: To be supplied before launch.

For civil rights and nondiscrimination complaints, you may also contact the Department of Health Office of Nondiscrimination at doh.nondiscrimination@doh.hawaii.gov.

Last updated: September 2026.