This whole discussion is getting a little silly. Yes, Ancestry.com collects information, which they then turn around and sell. What do you expect? Do you think any company, or anyone else for that matter, would do your research for you for free? What do you think professional genealogists have been doing for years? They have been collecting information and selling it to you. Personally, I have submitted my information to World Connects. I sent it prior to Ancestry taking over Rootsweb, but I have continued to update it since, and will continue to do so. I have benefited immensely by so doing in that mistakes have been corrected, and I have found many new friends and relatives researching the same line. My research has expanded by leaps and bounds. While we're on the subject, have you ever wondered why Ancestry took over Rootsweb? We, the genealogical public, never supported Rootsweb strongly enough for it to survive as a non-profit organization. It depended on our contributions, both money and data. I contributed both, but not enough of us supported them monetarily. As to Ancestry having no competitors...What about GenCircles, Family Tree Maker, GenServe, National Genealogical Society, etc., etc.? There are many sources out there, Ancestry is just one, and they have never forced anyone to contribute to their data bases. If you don't want to share your "hard-earned data" with them, don't. I have and will continue to do so. We'll see who benefits the most in the long run. Finally, no, I didn't know the owners of Ancestry were the biggest owners of gambling enterprises on the strip in Las Vegas, and now that I have been told, my next question is...so what? What does that have to do with anything? Do we really want to go back to the "good old days," where we each had to travel to the countless archives scattered around the country (not to mention the world)? In my humble opinion, the answer is a resounding "NO!" Bill