Hi all, I just left the website, and all of my e-mails and the information on living people have been removed!!! It turns out that, as we know, the data isn't protected under copyright, but the wording is, and the living are protected by privacy acts. Of course, he used most of the data, but we ALL saw THAT one coming!! As long as the info on the living is gone, and my name is no longer attributed to his site, all is well with the world again!!!! Interestingly, all it took was for me to tell him that I KNEW the material was copyrighted, and off it came. Certainly seems to me that he must have known too!!!! THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL, FOR ALL THE HELP!!!!! Joan

Joan said: >and the living are protected by privacy acts. < Not exactly. I'd like to point out something that is often misunderstood about so-called "privacy laws." These laws basically pertain to what your federal government can and can't do with your "personal information." Your name, address, e-mail address, phone number, etc. are not private information. They can be obtained easily from telephone books, city directories, etc. While most of us prefer to keep our e-mail addresses off the Web due to the spambots who collect them to spam us with junk and porn, they still are not "private." The Privacy Act of 1974 provides for disclosure of, and personal access to, all federal records containing personal information, regulates their transfer to others, and allows for legal remedies in cases of their misuse under the law. The Right to Financial Privacy Act (1978) limits federal access to financial records but places few restrictions on access by states, businesses, and others. The privacy of most other information is not guaranteed. Computer and telecommunications advances have made credit, medical, and other data a readily available, highly marketable commodity, raising many concerns about individuals' privacy. The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly grant a right to privacy. However, most states in the U.S. grant a right to privacy and recognize four torts: 1.. Intrusion upon seclusion or solitude, or into private affairs; 2.. Public disclosure of embarrassing private facts; 3.. Publicity which places a person in a false light in the public eye; and 4.. Appropriation of name or likeness. Naturally, these are all matters of interpretation and specific instances and why we have lawyers. Genealogists should exclude posting online and/or sharing genealogical information (paper or GEDCOM) about living relatives out of courtesy, but there's no law about it. You might be surprised to know what's out there about you: http://www.peoplelookup.com/people-search.html --Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG