Family Tree Privacy Policy

Our guiding principle

We preserve family relationships and genealogical history while protecting the privacy of living people. A person may remain in the family tree even when their name or personal details cannot be shown publicly.

People reliably known to be deceased may be identified by name, even when their birth date, death date, or both are unknown. Missing dates alone are not a reason to hide a deceased person.

What visitors can see

People known to be deceased

We may show their name, family relationships, and appropriate historical details, records, sources, photographs, and stories when available and suitable.

People known or reasonably believed to be living

We hide their names and personal details by default. Their place in the family tree may appear under a general label such as “Private” or “Living relative.” A living person may expressly authorize a limited use of their own name, such as a direct-ancestor relationship line. That permission applies only to the authorized wording and does not permit disclosure of other personal details. We do not publicly show their alternate names, exact birth details, contact details, address, personal photographs, sensitive biographical information, private notes, or identifying records.

People whose status is unknown

When the available information is not enough to determine whether someone is living or deceased, we protect their identity. Their family relationship may remain visible under a general label, but their name and personal details are withheld until their status is clarified.

How we use the 100-year guideline

The 100-year threshold is a fallback guideline when a person’s status is unknown. It is not an absolute cutoff or a legal definition of death.

• We first check for an explicit living or deceased designation and review reliable death information or other credible evidence.
• If status remains unknown and a birth date is available, a person born within the last 100 years is treated as potentially living and kept private unless reliable evidence establishes their death.
• If a person was born more than 100 years ago and there is no conflicting evidence, they may be treated as presumed deceased.
• If dates are unavailable and status cannot be established, the person’s identity remains private.
• Reliable evidence that someone may still be living takes precedence over an old birth date. Reliable evidence of death takes precedence over the 100-year fallback.

Missing and estimated dates

Genealogical records may have no known birth date, death date, or either date, and sources may conflict. A person known to be deceased may be named even when both dates are missing. Missing dates do not authorize disclosure of a person whose status is unknown.

Estimated dates should be identified as estimates and not presented as established facts.

How privacy is applied

Privacy checks apply to information delivered through public pages, tree views, search results, downloads, and attachments. A private name must not remain exposed in page source, public data files, search indexes, or other public interfaces merely because it is hidden on screen.

Family relationships may be preserved with generic labels when a person’s identity is withheld.

Accuracy and privacy requests

Genealogical information may be incomplete or disputed. We aim to distinguish documented facts from estimates and to correct information when reliable evidence is provided. Privacy status should be reviewed when credible evidence or a privacy concern is raised.

If you believe this website identifies a living person or discloses personal information that should be private, please contact the website administrator to request a review.

Decision guide

Our commitment

We seek to preserve family connections and historical knowledge while minimizing unnecessary disclosure about living people. This policy describes our intended privacy practices. It does not replace applicable privacy, data-protection, copyright, or other legal requirements, and it cannot guarantee that every historical record is free of errors.