Thanks for the clarification. Laws are so different from place to place. It is hard to keep up with them all! So I just try to do the 100 year rule and figure that way I am more covered internationally than not. Laura ----- Original Message ----- From: Ray Hennessy To: rbozzay@earthlink.net;aberdeen@rootsweb.com Sent: 12/1/2009 4:46:49 AM Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] 100 year limit? 2009/12/1 Laura Bozzay <rbozzay@earthlink.net> wrote: There are some laws that protect privacy in various countries. From the information Ray posted earlier it sounds like Scotland is not as controlling about what can be published as some other countries. I guess it depends on how litigious the folks in that country are. ___________________________________________________ Hi Laura, I was only referring to Statutory Registration. The rules for the Census are different because there is much more personal [i.e. private] data on Census returns. The Statutory Registers have been open for scrutiny - by visiting any number of official offices - since they were first recorded [1837 for England & Wales, 1855 for Scotland] but it is only since the advent of the Internet that access has become so easy. But no-one has updated the 19th century laws for these registers [nor should they in my view]. -- Best wishes Ray ********************************************************** >From Ray Hennessy Forenames website: www.whatsinaname.net Preferred Email address: ray@whatsinaname.net Hints for Scotland's People at http://bit.ly/WIAN-SCP **********************************************************