Ancestry’s Privacy Philosophy

Initially, Ancestry collects basic information from you to create your account(s), including name, email address, and billing information together with a password that you provide us when you create an Ancestry account, and your phone number that we may collect to notify you of DNA test result status, or when you contact Ancestry Member Services by phone. We collect further data, such as family tree data, DNA data, health information or other information you provide when you opt in to additional services. We also collect some information about users who visit our websites using cookies and similar technologies. See the Privacy Statement and/or Cookie Policy for the particular website(s) or service(s) you are using for more details about the specific types of information Ancestry may collect and your choices related to that data.

Ancestry primarily uses information about you to provide, personalize, improve, update and expand and improve our services to you. For example, we use information about you to create your account, deliver our websites and services, help you build a family tree, and perform tests on your DNA. We may also use your information in genealogical or genomic research projects, to improve or develop new products and services, and for internal business purposes. We may also use personal information about you to verify your identity, communicate with you and to deliver advertisements, improve Ancestry information security; help you create, and providing insights about, your family trees based on data in Ancestry’s databases; issuing surveys and questionnaires to collect additional user information for use in the Services, marketing new products and offers from us or our business partners, conducting scientific, statistical, and historical research; detecting and protecting against error, fraud, or other criminal or malicious activity as well as facilitating product development and research initiatives. See our Privacy Statements (in Important Resources below) for more details.

Ancestry does not share your individual Personal Information (including your Genetic Information) with third-parties without your additional consent other than as described in our Privacy Statement. Sharing might occur with any information you add to your Ancestry profile which will be seen by other Ancestry members, or for example if you make your family tree public, share your DNA results, or consent to participate in our Research Project. To be clear, we do not share common identifying information linked to your genetic or health data with third parties unless we obtain your explicit consent or are required to do so. Otherwise, we share information as described in our Privacy Statements, such as with our affiliated companies, other users, our service providers, our advertising partners, and in other limited scenarios, such as in response to valid legal process or as appropriate to protect the rights, property, safety, confidentiality, or reputation of Ancestry, our affiliates, and our users.

You can read the Privacy Statement for the particular website(s) or service(s) you are using for more details about how Ancestry shares your data and your choices related to that sharing.

You can review, update, or delete most information about yourself through your account page on the relevant website (e.g., the “Your Account” page on Ancestry.com or the “Account Details” page on Newspapers.com and Fold3.com) usually located in the pull-down menu in the top right corner of the relevant website.

For AncestryDNA, you can review and update your information on your DNA settings page. If you agreed to the Informed Consent to participate in research, and then withdraw consent, we will stop using information about you for the Research Project and any future research. However, information cannot be withdrawn from studies in progress, completed studies, or published results.

If you have questions about how to review, update, or delete information, you should look in the “Manage Your privacy” pages below, or contact our Member Services team.

You can delete your Personal information from Ancestry by logging into your Account Settings.

If you agree to the AncestryDNA Informed Consent, your DNA and other data that you provide us through questionnaires or surveys may be used in research to further understand human history and improve human health.

Ancestry maintains a comprehensive information security program designed to protect our customers’ Personal Information using administrative, physical, and technical safeguards based on the sensitivity of the Personal Information collected. We use industry standard security practices to store your DNA sample, your DNA test results, and other health information you provide to us, and we limit access to authorized individuals who complete privacy training. We store your DNA test results and DNA sample without your name or other common identifying information such as your address. We do not share with third parties common identifying information linked to your genetic or health data except as legally required or with your explicit consent.

You own your DNA data and you can ask us to remove your data from our systems at any time. We do not keep copies unless you have consented to participate in research, in which case only those research projects that are ongoing or completed will contain your data.

How to access the account of someone who has passed away

Firstly, we’re sorry for your loss.

Please note that we don’t allow anyone access to a deceased member’s account without proper documentation showing that the requestor is legally entitled to take over the account.

In order to gain access to the account of a deceased member, collect as many of the documents listed below as possible, then contact us.

Documents Ancestry® will consider prior to providing access to deceased members’ accounts:

1. All legal documentation which confirms that you are the executor of the member’s estate, or if you are based outside the United States, the legal document required in your country of residence to confirm that you are legally entitled to act on behalf of the deceased member; or
2. Demonstrate that the executor of the estate has granted permission for you to assume control of the member’s account. If you are relying on a letter from the executor, you should demonstrate the executor’s right to write such letter, for example by providing a copy of the following:
• A letter of appointment
• A letter of administration
• A letter of representation
• A copy of the will
• Letters testamentary; and/ or
3. A copy of the member’s death certificate; and/or
4. Proof of identification that verifies your authority to take over the relevant account; or
5. An email from the email address on file for the account or proof that you have access to the email account associated with the member’s Ancestry account (after the date of death)

Please note that this is a non-exhaustive list and may vary depending on what the specific requirements are in your country.

You will be asked to produce the above documents in order to prove that you are entitled to take over the account.

 

How to request the deletion of a deceased member's Ancestry® account

Once you delete an account, you will lose access to the account and to all related data on that account. This is a particularly important decision when considering the deletion of a deceased member’s account, as the work they put into the account will not be able to be retrieved after deletion. You may wish to download the family tree, raw DNA data, or other notes or files from the account before deleting the account. Please see how you can download the tree data here.

You can request that an account be deleted in two ways:

• If you have successfully demonstrated that you are the legal owner of the account on the death of a member, you are granted access to the member’s account and you are able to delete the account yourself in the account settings. Please see the support article on how to delete the account.

  Please see How to access the account of someone who has passed away above in order to gain access to the account.

• Alternatively, contact us to request that an account be deleted.

Please ensure that you have collected copies of these documents before contacting us, as it will ensure quick resolution of your query.

 

How to request content from the Ancestry® account of a deceased member

You are able to download the family trees, DNA Data, and other notes or files saved to the trees if you have access to the account or you are entitled to take over the account.

Once you have access to the account, please see how you can download the tree data here.

If you do not currently have access to the account, you may need to request that the account be transferred to your name. In order to gain access to the account, you will have to provide documentation to prove you are entitled to take over the account. Please see the How to access the account of someone who has passed away section above.

 

How to ask a question about a deceased member’s account on Ancestry®

If you have queries about a deceased member’s account, we are happy to assist you.

However, our customers’ privacy is important to us. We will not provide information or details about a member’s account unless you are entitled to access the account or to act on behalf of that individual.

In order to show that you are entitled to access the account, you will have to provide documentation to prove you are entitled to take over the account. Please see the How to access the account of someone who has passed away section above.

Your DNA results are viewable to you, and also to your DNA relatives if you have opted in to seeing and being seen by them. Also, your DNA relatives will see your common ethnicity or your whole ethnicity estimate if you choose. Please note that your DNA relatives are Ancestry users that we believe are related to you. When you decide to see your relatives through AncestryDNA, your information will also be viewable to them. You should know that you might find a long-lost relative or you might find relatives that you did not know about or that are surprising to you. You could also find that someone you thought was related to you is, in fact, not. These aspects of DNA testing are all part of what makes us human, although some may challenge our visions of ourselves.

It is important to us that you feel safe communicating with other members of the Ancestry Community, so we’ve created an online messaging service that lets our users contact each other. When another user sends you a message, you’ll receive an alert in your Ancestry inbox and an email. You can respond through the Ancestry website without sharing any personal contact information with the sender (except your username). Ancestry stores these messages as described in our Privacy Statement.

You can also choose not to communicate with anyone or block specific users. To update your contact preferences, click on your username in the upper right corner and select Site Preferences.

When you participate in the Ancestry Community, you may interact with people across the globe who are members of one of several Ancestry websites (including sites such as Ancestry.co.uk and Ancestry.ca). Here’s how they can view your activity:

Member Connect Activity
Our Member Connect service helps you discover other users who are researching the same family lines. When you connect with other users, they can see these research activities:

• Things you publicly add or post to the site. This includes information on deceased individuals in your public member tree, message board postings, or other publicly posted content.
• Personal research activities. This includes records you save to a private member tree (without sharing information from your tree) as well as records you save to your Shoebox.

To change these settings, go to Activity Preferences.

Public Trees
If your tree is public, other users can view all content in your tree except information about living people and notes. Other users can also see your username or full name depending on your account settings. See Privacy for Your Family Tree for more information.

Messaging
When you are using Ancestry’s messaging system to send messages to other Ancestry members, they will see your online status. They will also see when their message was delivered to you and read by you.

Message Boards
Anything you post on message boards is public. If you ever have a concern about what is being shared, you can contact a Message Board Administrator at [email protected].

When you create or upload a tree to the Ancestry Community you can determine whether it is public, private, or unindexed. By default, your tree will be public, because we believe that this will better help you find family members and share your family history. You can change this setting any time to a more private option by clicking “Trees,” choosing a family tree, and then selecting “Tree Settings”.  When you change your public tree to “private” or “unindexed,”  other users may continue to see your tree until we can complete your request, but they cannot access any record or document from your tree without your authorization.

If your tree is public: 
Other users can view all content in your tree except information about living people and notes. Other users can also see your username or full name depending on your account settings.

If your tree is private:
Other users cannot view the contents of your tree. However, limited information about deceased individuals in your tree (name, birth year, birthplace, and any documents you upload) will appear in search results within Ancestry Community sites. For example, if you upload a picture of a deceased family member to a private tree - while no one can view that picture from your private tree, search results for that individual might show limited information for the uploaded photograph (such as the name of the picture and the ancestor the image is tied to). If the searching party then tried to view the photograph from the search, the site would tell them that the image is in a private tree and that they would have to contact that user directly to view it.  A user could then contact you anonymously through the Ancestry messaging service, and you can decide whether or not to respond or give them access.

If your tree is unindexed (hidden):
Other users cannot view the contents of your tree and its contents will not appear in search results within the Ancestry Community. For example, no information about a document uploaded to your unindexed Private tree would show in a search. You can change your Private tree to an unindexed Privacy by clicking “Trees,” choosing a family tree, and then selecting “Tree Settings”. On the “Privacy Settings” tab select the “Also prevent your tree from being found in searches” checkbox.

You can invite friends and family members to view and collaborate on your tree using their email addresses or Ancestry usernames. To invite someone to your tree, select the tree from the “Trees” button at the top of any Ancestry page, then choose “Share your tree” and follow instructions on how to share. You can assign each person one of these roles:

Regardless of the role you assign, no one else can delete or rename your tree, change tree settings, or invite others to view your tree. And you can change who can see living individuals at any time. Please note that you are responsible for ensuring that the living people in the tree that you want to share have consented to have their information shared.

If necessary, you can revoke someone’s invitation to view your tree. To do this, select your family tree from the “Trees” button at the top of any Ancestry page, then choose “Sharing”. Then simply click the “Remove” link next to the appropriate individual.

If your tree is public, other users can comment on your tree; if your tree is private, invitees can leave comments. As the owner of the tree, you can see who submitted the comment (their name or username) and message them.  For inappropriate comments, you can delete, flag, or hide the comment.

You control the content in your tree. You can update or delete facts and photos or change the content at any time. However, once something has been added to a public tree, the content may be copied and re-posted. If you delete an item in your tree, it may still be displayed in another user’s tree. Because of this, we encourage you to think carefully about what you post and share within the Ancestry Community.

If you have a concern about information that someone has posted about you or a living family member please contact Member Services.

Because Ancestry encourages our users to share their family history discoveries, we want you to get acknowledgment for what you share. Whenever you post a photo, story, comment, or message board post to the Ancestry Community, it will be linked to your profile. That way you receive credit for your work and other researchers know whom to contact for additional information.

Remember that information you post within the Ancestry Community may become public to other users (depending on your privacy settings). This means that other users can copy and use the information you provide. If another user updates a person in their tree based on what you have shared in your tree, the information will include a source indicating that the information is from your tree. If they add a photo or story from your tree, it will show you as the original contributor. Although you may receive credit for your contributions, you don’t have total control over what others may do with the content you share.

Remember, you are responsible for what you post on the site. Anything you post should be something you have permission to use (see the Ancestry Terms and Conditions for more details). You should also avoid posting content that could be offensive to other users (such as anything obscene, indecent, defamatory, or that incites hatred of any kind).

For all requests, Ancestry requires valid legal process in writing before producing any personal information about our users. We publish an annual transparency report describing requests we received. When we receive a request, our team reviews it for compliance with legal requirements and our policies. If we believe a request is overly broad, we will seek to narrow it. We notify users prior to turning over any information in order to give them an opportunity to challenge the request unless it would be counterproductive or we are legally prevented from doing so.

Ancestry may market to you online, via email, or through other methods, with new products and offers from us or our business partners. This includes advertising personalized to your interests. You can control how we market to you by using the unsubscribe link in any email you receive, by changing your account preferences, or by following the instructions in any other marketing communications you may receive.

We may deliver “targeted” or “interest-based” advertising on our websites and elsewhere on the internet, based on your interests and activities on the internet. Please visit the Network Advertising Initiative or the Digital Advertising Alliance for additional information about interest-based ads.

Targeted ads placed on our behalf contain information on or near them about the third-party delivering the ads and how to opt out of receiving similar ads from that party. If you wish to not have this information used for the purpose of serving you targeted ads, you may opt out by clicking here. Please note this does not opt you out of being served advertising and generic ads will still appear on our websites. For more information about opting out of targeted ads from other advertisers, such as Facebook, please see Cookies and Advertising.

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