This message was on another list but is a topic that is near and dear to me. I have emailed the list members about privacy in the past, and also discuss it at the family web site. Privacy is important. Please read the following message as it shows how you can be affected. Mike <><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~ The Dunton Family Homesite http://www.web-ster.com/miked list manager for dutton-l@rootsweb.com & dunton-l@rootsweb.com <><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~<><~~~~ -----Original Message----- From: Millard Hawkins [mailto:cmp16wxk@gte.net] Sent: 17 August 1998 19:54 To: LANCSGEN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: 'Mind if I vent a little? (long but important) hi, I am new to this list. I have been contacted by someone I don't know asking about our line. I sent the info but on any living relatives I only gave a birth year. Do you think this is safe? Charlotte Hawkins Sparks, NV researching: John Francis DEWHURST b. 5/2/1813 in Durham Co. was married to Elizabeth BERYTY -----Original Message----- From: Pechmann <rpech@interlog.com> To: LANCSGEN-L@rootsweb.com <LANCSGEN-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Monday, August 17, 1998 11:16 AM Subject: 'Mind if I vent a little? (long but important) >Hello all, > >I have an interesting story to tell and I hope you are all taking >heed so that it doesn't happen to you. > >I have a cousin who caught the genealogy bug when he married >about a dozen years or so ago. The fact that he married a Mormon >and subsequently joined the church himself has enabled him access >to a wealth of information. > >Last week I received an e-mail from him directing me to a URL to >check out. On it he had listed the names of all of our ancestors >(we have records dating back to three digit years) as well as our >current family members. Imagine my surprise when I clicked on the >link to my own surname to find all my vital statistics there for >anyone to see. > >Not only that but he had recorded the vital statistics of all the >minor (ie under legal age) family members - including that of my >grandson who is only three and is in a position of needing >protection. The only records of parentage on this child are in >my personal possession for his safety's sake and now my cousin >has gone and spread it to the internet. He managed to get this >information from my elderly mother who loves to talk, thought she >was being helpful and has no idea of the modern computer age and >its implications - she has since been told. > >I saw RED! However, as politely as possible, I e-mailed him back >and asked him if he could kindly remove my information, just >leaving my name and perhaps my e-mail address in case anyone >wanted to contact me. > >He reacted by removing ALL of the genealogical information. >Grateful as I am that he has removed my own personal information, >I am now taking the heat for there not being any genealogical >information on any of my ancestors. Damned if I do, damned if I >don't, in other words. > >What upsets me the most though is that he has already sent along >this information to other places who now have it in their files. >I will never know where it is or who can access it. I am >terrified now for my grandson but what can I do? There are also >other family members as well who are involved in custody >situations where the broadcasting of their children's names can >be used against them, when they had no knowledge whatsoever that >it was even happening. There has been a mad scrambling to family >lawyers this past week I can tell you! > >On top of that, quite a bit of the information that he had on >myself and my siblings etc. is genealogically incorrect anyway as >he went on assumptions based on what he personally perceived as >nicknames (ie: my husband's name is now down on record as being >something that never has been his name, my daughter's and >sister's names are incorrect etc.). He never once bothered to ask >me or any of my siblings etc. to look over the info to see if it >was correct, or even to ask permission to broadcast it. I wonder >too what all the other family members who were listed and don't >know about it would think. I know that if my in-laws ever find >out that he has spread their info far and wide..... heaven help >me > >It has caused a major rift in the family now as he feels it is >his right to do this thing and how DARE we question it. Even with >explanations he doesn't see what the fuss is about. > >There is nothing now that we can do but hope for the best. We >know the LDS is the first place he would have sent all the info - >hopefully they will have more common sense than to allow the >records of those people on the list who are still living to be >accessed. > >I just wanted to post this to the list a) to try and get it off >my chest a bit but b) to try and make those of you doing >genealogy on the internet aware of the domino effect and to >think about the implications of what you may be doing. They can >be far more damaging than just somebody finding out your age. > >Please take note and don't let it happen to you. > > > >==== LANCSGEN Mailing List ==== >The Lancashire Look-up Exchange Page can be found at: > >http://members.aol.com/mn1native/Lancslookups/lancs.htm