Cheryl, while your message may have been a bit harsh, I know what you are saying is probably very true. I watched something on TV last night regarding privacy on the Internet. Perhaps not specifically going into genealogy, but it sure does make sense that this would be one source crooks could/would use to glean info for their deeds. Thank you very much for bringing it to my attention. Terry Mercer, Fayette and Massac Counties Coordinator Cheryl Rothwell wrote: > Posting information on living people is against the rules. Queries seeking > such information are rejected by the USGenWeb Project. Others online are > not so delicate. Intelligent people, even unintelligent but decent people, > do not post information about living people. Most genealogy programs allow > the user to privatize information about living people but, unfortunately, > some don't use that feature. Such thoughtless and inconsiderate behavior > jeopardizes people's security. Do you know how many banks use your mother's > maiden name as your password? With information easily gleaned from these > online GEDCOM collectors, a criminal can steal from you. > > That is just the tip of the iceberg. Since there is a growing number of > people who are careless with such things as verification of their > information other damages may occur. Some seem bent on uploading as much as > they can to get their name online without regard for privacy or accuracy. > > I have brought this up before. That may be why I have been contacted by a > group which is talking of suing people who do this and, of course, the > services [Ancestry.com, FTM, etc] who post such uploads. They have done > their homework and can detail out who has posted what about you, in this > case, me. If these amateurs can do it think what criminals can do! > > This is very troubling. While I am extremely irritated at the inconsiderate > behavoir of the posters involved and the GEDCOM collectors I also realize > that such litigation could mean the end of genealogy online. I am not > convinced there is any loss in getting rid of user submitted gedcoms since > the ones I have checked are full of errors but I certainly wish to keep old > records available, online and free for all. > > When you talk to genealogists of any ilk please encourage them not to post > information on living people anywhere. > Cheryl Rothwell > clrothwell@mindspring.com > > ==== IL-CENTRAL Mailing List ==== > List problems? First, read the Welcome Message that you received > when you subscribed. Feel free to contact Cheryl Rothwell, > list administrator with questions concerning this list! > mailto: clrothwell@mindspring.com