Question/answer » I am in a family tree on Genealogy Online. Is that allowed?

You search for your own name on the internet and find yourself in a family tree. That can be a shock. Here you can read how this works, and what you can do.

The rule

Data about living persons may only be published with their explicit consent. That is what the privacy law, the GDPR, says. Genealogy Online follows that rule. Every time a family tree is uploaded, living persons are left out automatically. Their name and data are then not visible.

So why am I in it?

There are two possible reasons:

  • The researcher has indicated that you gave consent. Maybe that happened a long time ago, or through another family member.
  • A mistake was made. For example, you were accidentally marked as deceased in the family tree program.

What can you do?

  1. Look at the family tree to see who the author is. That name is on every page, with a link to a contact form.
  2. Send a message. Say on which page you appear and that you do not give consent, or withdraw your consent.
  3. The author must then remove your data within a reasonable time. Most researchers do so straight away.
  4. Does the author not respond? Then contact Genealogy Online via the contact form. We will make sure it happens.

Good to know

Data about living people is not in public archives. So the researcher got it from family, or from you. Often the researcher is a relative you may not know. A friendly message usually solves it.


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