General Chat

Regarding living relatives in trees: With so much identity theft around nowadays I'd really be wary of adding any living person to a tree and then sharing that tree with someone else. Not only will they have date and place of birth but they will also have the mother's maiden name and that is also used as a means of identification. The common convention is to replace the first name with the word "Living". Crista

Lisa, Maybe you could post a message on this board naming the relative in question, and give him an opportunity to respond here? He may have changed his e-mail address. I have tried to make a contact via this board and there's nothing GC can do if people haven't notified the change. Marion

If I have asked permission of a living relative to put their details on the site in my tree surely, that means that other tree's can use the details as well. As the person has already given permission. I also explain to people that the details will be on the internet for others to read and use. Most people are happy for this to happen as they are interested in family history ! Or, am I wrong????

This is a bit complicated isn't it? I personally do not have any living person on my tree apart from myself and my husband. If anyone finds they have a link with me then they will be given access to my 856 names with pleasure but they're all dead! I know my children, grandchildren etc. cousins and children of cousins etc.etc. are part of my family too but I prefer dealing with the history side of it. I suppose some people will disagree with this approach and think I am mad but I look forward to hearing opinions! I just feel more comfortable working this way. There are a number of distant relatives I know about but wouldn't be able to contact for permission to add them anyway and of course I think permission is absolutely vital. If living persons are added with permission then fine but they need to know what they have given permission for i.e. their details may be accessed by someone on the site with a link. I seem to have rambled a bit here but hopefully you'll get the gist of it! Beryl, Darlington DUR

This could get really complicated. Does this mean that if you give someone on GC access to your tree, you should ask every living person in your tree first? Or must the person who wants to see your tree ask them? Or do you only have to ask them if the other person is related and wants to add them to their tree? And how can the other person ask them if they don't know them, but are related?

Helen You do have to ask permission of aliving person. This relative of lisa`s did not ask permission. For example I have my son and Daughters name on here, and if I logged on one day and found a distant relative that I dont even know or talk to had added them to their tree I would be most upset. If they asked me first I would gladly give my permission. And I think you are breaking the rules. I cannot believe you have been copying other peoples trees without asking. Or did I misunderstand and you did ask permission to copy them?

Lisa Surley if you have put people in your tree then they must have given permission? Therefore if they have allowed their data to be submitted to this site, how can your relative be breaking the rules. I know he hasn't personally asked permission but by you adding the names you're implying their permission has been given. I myself have added names from other peoples trees, assuming permission had already been given. Am I breaking the rules by doing this?

thanks for your advice and support. its much appreciated.

Lisa, This is on the terms and conditions for this site: " Important: Members must have, and continue to have, the express permission of any living person to include their details in a family tree. If a Member is asked to do so, relevant details must be removed. Members are the controllers of the information they input relating to living persons, and therefore have obligations under the privacy and data protection laws (such as the Data Protection Act 1998). GenesConnected may remove all or part of a family tree if so required." If you've asked him to remove those details and he hasn't the next step would be to contact GenesConnected. You might want to send him those terms and conditions as a final warning before you call the big guns in. Hope that helps, Crista

This is inevitable as trees expand, since to obtain a match a name MUST appear in two (or more) trees. I think the only issue at stake is the one of obtaining consent before posting details of living persons.

Lisa I dont know what you can do about this one, I think you will just have to hope that the people that contact him will also contact you. Because if I saw the same names I would contact both. I thought people had to have permission to put names on that are living. Perhaps you could email GC and ask their advice. sorry I couldnt help. Debbie

I have a very very distant relative who has posted my personal family details on this site. He has never met me, will not reply to emails and will not give me a telephone number or an address. now when i post my family details they will show as duplicates. Anyone trying to contact about my family will send emails to him which he doesnt pass on. does anyone know if there is anything i can do about this? sorry to moan. anyway. I think this is a good site lisa xx