To Share or Not to Share?

On 3 Aug 2021, Ancestry updated their Terms of Service , and some folks are very upset about what this might mean.  In fact some are recommending that you no longer upload files AND that you delete your information.

Ancestry has always had a note in the Gallery Section (where your photos, images and stories are added) which says, "All content submissions are subject to the Content Submission Agreement, which you have previously accepted."

There is a link there as well as other places on the site with statements about the responsibilities of both you and of Ancestry. The agreement has statements such as "The decision to upload personal information to the Ancestry website is your responsibility. Once you upload, the uploaded data becomes accessible by all persons accessing Ancestry websites, at least to the degree that it will be searched for data matches. Ancestry's liability and obligation in connection with the publishing of any information by you is strictly limited by the Site Terms and Conditions.. . . In addition please be aware that You agree to provide true, accurate and complete information. If any information you provide is, in our sole judgment, false or misleading, we reserve the right to terminate your use of Ancestry and/or delete all content that you have submitted."

I'm sure we have all noticed that many people have "violated" this contract by posting incorrect information or snagging and reposting information as if it is their own on Ancestry and on other public and private genealogy sites.

There are always risks in putting ANY information on the Internet whether a site is private or public. We always lose control unless we own the site. I can tell you lots of stories with bad endings when I have shared information, but I will continue to share my genealogy since I don't want it to "die" with me. I also remind myself that I might have custody of information, but I don't OWN my ancestors' stories or photographs. I've been blessed to have custody of some older photos saved by my grandparents or my parents, but the owners are deceased. Most of the photos I "own" are people who are living, not my ancestors.

So, use your own best judgement about how, when and where you choose to share your photos, stories and information, but if you are worried about who "owns" your information, do not post it on the Internet at all.