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Archiver > DEVON > 2009-11 > 1258777069


From: "Richard Fowler" <>
Subject: Re: [DEV] Data Privacy
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:17:49 -0000
References: <21946F66A2814B5CB1F5F9071AD0A3CE@Beaufort>


Ruth, my cousin and I are involved with this now as part of an Xmas family
newsletter.

We are operating a general cut off of 1920 as we have no living relatives
born before then. Then the few born before 1930 still around appear only if
they have agreed. I am still getting used to Family Tree Maker but it seems
simplest to create 2 separate family files , one restricted as above so we
can do what we like with it incl put it on the internet, the other kept
private for those specifically working with us on the descendants project
and who understand the issues. If anyone else wants to know for legitimate
reasons they can ask and we will give them exreacts. Address lists are kept
on paper. We are covering the C20th descendants for the newsletter by simple
chatty narrative along the lines of ' "Uncle" Dick and his wife Elizabeths 9
children were .(first names.) .....All except (first names) married and had
children. ' It may be possible to adapt this to a website if you wish.

The consensus seems to be (rightly in my view) that one must not make public
esp on the internet details of living individuals. This of course is not
what many people have done and it is not what commercial sites want to
enhance their product marketing. Even off the internet, there is a risk that
someones grandchild will have a school or similar project on fh and will
upload the descendants data.

Incidentally, Adrian b's point about the banking security question (Mothers
mother) is one I raised with the folk who write the Banking Code. They
understood the issue but have not acted on it and generally the financial
world are getting in a real tangle over security and passwords. They invent
ever more complex countermeasures resulting in multiple complex passwords/
security questions which people cannot rememner so have to record somewhere.
That is why for example 'Verified by Visa' demands unique alpha-numeric
codes. Re ID theft, it does not help that we have the rediculous situation
that individuals are advised to shred or burn papers while government and
organisations hold vast amounts of our personal id in less than secure
conditions.

Dick Fowler
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ruth Bartlett" <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:27 PM
Subject: [DEV] Data Privaxy


What is the best way of protecting the privacy of the living while compiling
a family tree for inclusion on one of the many ancestry sites - how do
others handle it?

I had this question from a cousin and don't know how to answer



whether I should record all Living Descendants of my grandparents

with name only and an M for male or F for female, excluding all vital and
confidential information such as
births, and marriages, and writing the word Living or and Private,
before each living descendent. What do you think? I am very concerned about
identity theft

I have numerous cousins, but about half a dozen or less who are
familycontributors to the Gill Tree.

Help & advice welcome, T.I.A. Ruth

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