Effective: 17 January 2024
Summary of Changes
The below summarizes the most recent changes to Ancestry’s Privacy Statement and how the changes may impact you.
- We added language to better explain how content you upload is used on Ancestry® Services and your responsibilities for such content in order to keep our platform safe.
- We added language to address new features within the AncestryDNA® matches service and AncestryDNA® features or services that may be released in the future.
- We added language to clarify the terms regarding your Use of the Services.
- We added information about account-based choices for opting out of targeted advertising.
At Ancestry, your privacy is a top priority. Ancestry is committed to being a good steward of your Personal Information (defined below), handling it in a responsible manner, and securing it with administrative, technical, organizational, and physical safeguards.
We believe in being honest, direct, and transparent when it comes to your data. In that regard, Ancestry follows three guiding principles:
- Transparency. We work hard to be transparent about the Personal Information we collect and process;
- Simplicity. We try to use easy-to-understand language to describe our privacy practices to help you make informed choices; and
- Control. We give you control over the Personal Information you provide to us, including your DNA Data (defined below), and how it is used, shared, and retained.
When You Use Our Services
You maintain control of your Biological Samples and DNA Data and you can manage, delete, or destroy them as described in this Privacy Statement. You may discover unexpected facts about yourself or your family when using our services. Once discoveries are made, we can’t undo them.
This Privacy Statement covers the Ancestry websites, services, and mobile apps that link to this Privacy Statement, including Ancestry®; AncestryDNA®; Fold3®; Newspapers.com™; Archives®; We Remember®; Forces War Records™; and Find a Grave®. Within this Privacy Statement, we refer to these websites, services, and mobile apps as “Ancestry”.
U.S. Customers. The U.S. Resident Additional Privacy Statement contains additional details for U.S. residents including those in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia.
Non-U.S. Customers. Ancestry Ireland Unlimited Company is the controller of your Personal Information, and Section 8 contains information about your rights.
Table of Contents
To provide and improve the websites, mobile applications, and services (collectively the “Services”), we collect, store, and otherwise process “Personal Information”, which is information that can identify you, directly or indirectly, as further described in Section 3. Personal Information includes your name, address, email, and any information that could reasonably be linked back to you, including your Genetic Information. Information about deceased people is not Personal Information under this Privacy Statement. This Privacy Statement describes our practices for collecting, storing, and otherwise processing your Personal Information and the controls we provide you to manage it within our Services including the right to object to certain kinds of processing. This Privacy Statement includes our Cookie Policy, which describes our use of browser cookies and similar tracking technologies.
2. Account Creation and Your Use of Ancestry Services
When you create an Ancestry account, we will collect, process, and share your Personal Information (including your Genetic Information if you have taken an AncestryDNA test or uploaded your DNA Data) as described in this Privacy Statement.
3. What Personal Information Does Ancestry Collect From You?
The types of Personal Information we receive and collect from you depend on how you use the Services, and these categories of information are described below. We require certain Account Information to deliver the Services in accordance with our Ancestry Terms and Conditions and without this we will not be able to provide our Services to you.
| Information Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Account Information |
|
| Credit Card/Payment Information | Payment and billing information, such as your credit card number and your billing and shipping address(es), when you sign up for a free trial or make a purchase, such as an Ancestry subscription or an AncestryDNA test kit. |
| AncestryDNA Test Kit Registration Information | When you register an AncestryDNA test kit or upload your DNA Data, we collect:
|
| Profile Information | We collect the information you provide when you create a user profile. This information includes a profile image, your name, username, biography, age, location, and linked account usernames. Your Ancestry user profile information is visible to other users (defined in our Terms and Conditions), so consider limiting this information and using a username that is different from your real name to protect your privacy. |
| Your Content | We collect information from content you voluntarily contribute to the Services, including (i) family trees; (ii) family memories such as photos, audio/video recordings, and stories; (iii) record annotations, messages; and (iv) feedback provided to Ancestry. |
| Genetic Information | When you take an AncestryDNA test, we extract DNA from your sample at our partner laboratories and convert it into machine-readable DNA data (“DNA Data”). Any file containing your DNA Data uploaded from another DNA testing service is also DNA Data under this Privacy Statement. We process your DNA Data to provide you with an ethnicity estimate and Genetic Communities® suggestions. We also process your DNA Data to provide you information through our portal about your degree of relatedness to other users in our DNA database and some genetic markers associated with certain biological, physiological, behavioral traits, or other characteristics such as hair thickness and eye color or traits associated with preferences and wellness. As further described in Section 7 you may choose to share some of this information with other Ancestry users. Your DNA Data and any information derived from it, such as ethnicity estimates, Genetic Communities suggestions, traits, genetic relative matches, inherited-DNA information, and related insights are Personal Information referred to as “Genetic Information”. Your Sample and Extracted DNA. Neither the sample you provide using an AncestryDNA test kit nor the DNA extracted from your sample (together referred to as “Biological Samples”) are Personal Information under this Privacy Statement. You can consent to have your Biological Samples stored in our biobank for future testing at your option. Future testing and research may be done if you agree to our Informed Consent for Research or if you consent to other tests of your Biological Samples. If you do not consent to the storage of your Biological Samples, we will destroy them. Sections 8 and 10 describe how you can control your Biological Samples. You may request that Ancestry destroy your Biological Samples by contacting Member Services or by deleting your Ancestry account. We may destroy Biological Samples that do not meet our quality-assurance requirements at our discretion. |
| DNA Surveys | If you agree to take DNA surveys, we will collect the information from the survey questions that you answer and use it for the continued development and improvement of AncestryDNA features, such as traits. If you agree to our Informed Consent to Research, your survey responses may also be used for research. |
| Health-Related Information | Ancestry is not a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), and no data provided by you is subject to or protected by HIPAA. |
| Your Communications | We host and maintain your communications with other users through the communications features on our platform. We also collect your information when you communicate with Member Services and support teams for our other Services, including through audio and visual information (such as recordings of calls with Member Services or information voluntarily shared when participating in consumer insights research). |
| Contests and Promotions | We collect Personal Information when you voluntarily participate in contests and special promotions we run or sponsor, the details of which are provided upon entry. |
| Find a Grave Photos and Photo Volunteers | Through Find a Grave, we collect metadata associated with digital photographs uploaded to the Find a Grave service, including location, date, and time the photo was taken. If you choose to be a photo volunteer for Find a Grave, you provide your location to us which you can change or remove at any time. |
| Protected Classifications and Sensitive Data | Depending on how you use the Services, we collect information related to certain protected classifications such as gender or racial or ethnic origin. For example, if you use AncestryDNA services, we use your DNA Data to estimate ethnicity. Other sensitive information may be inferred by the content you voluntarily contribute to the Services. |
For information on Personal Information processed by Ancestry relating to non-Ancestry users please click here.
4. What Information Does Ancestry Collect Through Your Use of the Services?
| Information Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Computer and Mobile Device Information | Ancestry collects information about how you access our Services, including the website you visited before and after Ancestry’s site. We also collect the IP address where your computer, mobile device, or the proxy server you use accesses the Internet, in addition to other technical information, such as:
Ancestry collects geolocation information from your device with your permission. |
| Information from Cookies and Similar Technologies | Ancestry uses cookies and similar technologies as well as technical integrations with marketing and advertising partners as described in our Cookie Policy, which forms a part of this Privacy Statement. Please refer to our Cookie Policy to learn about our practices and the controls we provide you. |
| Information Shared Through Social Media Features | If you interact with social media through the Services, for example “Share,” “Post,” “Tweet,” “Pin,” or “Follow Us” links to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube, Ancestry will collect these interactions and whatever account information these services make available to us depending on your privacy settings with that third party. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy statement of the applicable third-party. You may have the option to sign-in to Ancestry Services using your social networking account, such as a Google or Apple account. When you give appropriate permissions, we will receive information about you from your social networking account that Ancestry will use to create your account and build your profile, such as your name, email address, and profile photo. |
| Information from Your Use of the Services | We collect information about your use of the Services, such as when you search or access records or public family trees, which pages you view, links you click, or when you add people to your tree, etc., which we use to infer details about you as a customer and your interests to provide a better experience through, for example, search suggestions. |
5. Information We Collect from Other Sources
| Information Category | Use Description |
|---|---|
| Information from Public and Historical Records | Ancestry collects records from various sources, usually from official record sources, including newspapers, as well as birth, death, marriage, and census records, which may contain Personal Information relating to you. Public and historical records may also contain Personal Information relating to non-Ancestry users. These records are usually made available to users as part of the Ancestry subscription Services. |
| Information from Third Parties | We also receive information about you from third parties. For example, occasionally we supplement the data we collect with information licensed from third parties to personalize the Services and our offers to you. If you purchase a gift subscription or AncestryDNA test kit as a gift, we will collect Personal Information, such as the recipient’s name, shipping address, email address, and the necessary purchase information to complete the gift and notify the recipient. |
6. How Does Ancestry Use Your Personal Information?
| Information Category | Use Description |
|---|---|
| Personal Information Generally | We use your Personal Information to provide, personalize, improve, update, and expand our Services. This includes:
|
| Communications | We use your Personal Information to communicate with you about the Services, such as when we:
|
| Market Products and Offers from Us or Our Business Partners | We use some Personal Information (for example, demographic information available from third-party sources or from parts of Ancestry (profile, trees, etc.)) to market our products and offers from us or our business partners. This marketing includes advertising based on your interests. Ancestry does not share your Genetic Information with third-party marketers, insurance companies, or employers, and we will not use your Genetic Information for marketing or personalized advertising without your separate, explicit consent. For marketing that you may have consented to receive by email or SMS, you can control how we market to you by using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email you receive, by changing your communication settings, or by following the instructions in marketing communications you receive. Controls for Ancestry’s related brands are available through their settings and are listed here. For advertising on third-party platforms, we rely on our own legitimate interests as the legal basis (please see Section 7), and you should control your marketing preferences directly on those platforms. |
| Genetic Information | Ancestry uses your Genetic Information for the following purposes:
|
7. What Information Do We Share, When Do We Share It and Who Are the Recipients?
Ancestry does not share your individual Personal Information (including your Genetic Information) with third parties except as described in this Privacy Statement or with your additional consent. We do not voluntarily share your information with law enforcement. We also will not share your Genetic Information with insurance companies, employers, or third-party marketers without your express consent.
Ancestry’s U.S.-specific disclosures can be found here. The circumstances described below explain when sharing occurs.
| Those with Whom Your Information May Be Shared / Circumstances in Which Sharing Occurs | Description |
|---|---|
| Ancestry Companies | We share your information within the Ancestry group of companies including, Ancestry.com Operations Inc and the companies listed here (the “Ancestry Companies”) to provide and improve our Services. We transfer your Personal and Genetic Information between Ancestry’s Ireland-based company and Ancestry’s U.S.-based companies. For more information on this see Section 12. |
| Other Users or Others You May Choose to Share With | As part of your use of the Services, you have the option to add or share information with all users of the Service or, through sharing features, with particular Ancestry users and even non-Ancestry users. Additional sharing options may be available in some Services, for example AncestryDNA (see below). Information in your public profile(s) will be seen by all other users, as will public family tree details. By default, profiles of living people in your tree are visible only to you and people with whom you share your tree as “editor” or whom you authorize to view your tree’s living people. Other information about living people may be visible if included in a public media gallery, or if you choose to publish the information outside your tree. You may share your activity depending on how you interact with Ancestry records or another user’s content, for example, if you contribute to another user’s family tree, or comment on a record or another user’s content. If the Recent Viewers feature is turned on in your account settings, we may show tree owners you have visited their tree. If you opt-in to view and be seen by your DNA matches, you and your DNA matches can see certain Personal Information about each other, including:
Subject to your privacy choices described above, DNA matches include both users who have taken an AncestryDNA test and users who have uploaded DNA Data. If you share details of your family history or DNA experience outside the Services, you do so at your own risk. |
| Service Providers | We work with other companies when providing and marketing the Services. As a result, these companies will have access to or otherwise process your data, including some of your Personal Information, in their systems. These companies are subject to contractual obligations governing privacy, data security, and confidentiality consistent with applicable laws. These companies and the Personal Information they may have access to include our:
|
| Analytics and Advertising Partners | We work with third-party partners for analytics and advertising purposes. By collecting and sharing certain Personal Information, these vendors help us to better personalize ads to match your interests. They also help us to measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns and are used to serve you with advertising that is more relevant to you. |
| Research Partners and De-Identified Data | We share de-identified Genetic Information with research partners only when you provide us with your express consent to do so through our Informed Consent to Research. Unless you agree to the Informed Consent to Research, your data will not be included in the data shared with these researchers. Any such de-identified genetic information and phenotypic information we share with third parties for research purposes is done in accordance with Part 46 (beginning with Section 46.101) of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Research partners include commercial or non-profit organizations that conduct or support scientific research, the development of therapeutics, medical devices or related material to treat, diagnose or predict health conditions. In some circumstances, a research partner or Ancestry may have a financial interest in the research arrangement. A list of our research partners can be found here. |
| Law Enforcement | Ancestry does not voluntarily provide data of any kind to governmental or judicial bodies or to law enforcement agencies. To provide our users with the greatest protection under the law, we require all government agencies seeking access to Ancestry customers’ data to follow a valid legal process. We do not allow law enforcement to use the Services to investigate crimes or to identify human remains. If we are compelled to disclose your Personal Information to law enforcement, we will do our best to provide you with advance notice, unless we are prohibited under the law from doing so. Ancestry produces a Transparency Report where we list the number of valid law enforcement requests for user data across all our sites. |
| Other Legal or Regulatory Process | We may share your Personal Information if we believe it is reasonably necessary to:
|
| If Ancestry is Acquired | If Ancestry or its businesses are acquired or transferred (including in connection with bankruptcy or similar proceedings), we may share your Personal Information with the acquiring or receiving entity. The promises in this Privacy Statement will continue to apply to your Personal Information transferred to the new entity. |
| Aggregated Data | Ancestry discloses user information in an aggregated, de-identified form as part of the Services or our marketing, or in scientific publications published by us or our research partners. For example, we might note the percentage of immigrants in a State that are from a particular geographic region or country. Such disclosure will never include Personal Information, and we will not re-identify it. |
8. Your Rights and Choices Regarding Your Personal Information
All users (as defined in our Terms and Conditions) may use our online tools to 1) request a report of what Personal Information they have provided to us, 2) download a copy of their DNA Data or download a copy of their family trees, and 3) delete their family trees, DNA test results or account.
Additionally, some data privacy laws, such as the EUEEA’s GDPR, the UK GDPR and Brazil’s LGPD, provide people with specific rights regarding their Personal Information. For example:
Right of Access/To Know. You may have a right to request access to your Personal Information and to be provided with a copy of certain information including the categories of your Personal Information we collect and disclose. To request a copy, follow these step-by-step instructions. If you want a copy of your DNA Data, follow these step-by-step instructions. If you want a copy of your family trees, follow these step-by-step instructions.
Right of Rectification/Correction. You may have the right to request that we rectify or correct inaccurate Personal Information about you.
Right of Erasure/Deletion. You have the right, in certain cases, to request that we restrict (stop any active processing) or delete your Personal Information, provided there are valid grounds for doing so and subject to applicable law. See Section 10 for information on how to delete your Personal Information.
Right to Object. You may have the right to object to processing activities in our legitimate interests where such activities impact on your rights and freedoms as an individual. Also, when you consent to processing of your Personal Information for a specified purpose, you may withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. We will stop any further processing of your data for that purpose.
Right to Restriction. You have the right to request a restriction on our processing of your Personal Information, for example, where you believe that the processing is based on inaccurate data or not processed in a lawful manner.
Right to Data Portability. You may have the right to receive certain of your Personal Information in a format that can be transmitted to another data controller.
Right to Complain. You have the right to make a complaint to the Irish Data Protection Commission (Complaints handling, Investigations and Enforcement For Individuals | Data Protection Commissioner) or any other competent supervisory authority in the country of residence.
You can exercise these rights by using the tools described below or by contacting Ancestry. Details and options for accessing this information are listed in Section 15.
| Type | Choices |
|---|---|
| Ancestry | You can access and update the Personal Information (such as your email address, username, profile information, etc.) you provide to Ancestry at any time in the following sections of the privacy settings: To learn how to manage the privacy settings for any family trees you have created on Ancestry, you can visit your Tree Settings or click here. |
| Related Brands | Ancestry strives to make it simple for you to manage your privacy across the Services. You can manage privacy settings for our related brands here. |
| Mobile Apps | You can also control your information using the settings available in our mobile applications, such as the Ancestry, and Find a Grave, apps. |
| Advertising | We use cookies and similar tracking technologies and integrations with third party marketing and advertising partners to collect data about your interests or behaviors to serve you targeted ads. You may change your settings as described in our Cookie Policy. For information on “Do Not Track” please see our Cookie Policy. |
| Family Tree Information Download | Ancestry allows you to download your family tree information in the standard GEDCOM family tree file format in your Tree Settings. Learn how here. |
| DNA Data Download | You can download a file with your DNA Data. If you download your DNA Data, you do so at your own risk. To learn how, and for more information on what is included in your DNA Data download, go here. |
9. What Are Our Retention Practices?
Ancestry Services are fundamentally premised on the notion that the personal voyage of self-discovery is not a one-time event and continues over lengthy periods of time—possibly lifetimes. Additionally, and with particular regard to our subscribers and DNA customers who pay fees or purchase subscriptions, the ongoing enhancement of our collections of historical records and DNA features provide benefits and insights to our users over time. As a result, our retention practices reflect this ongoing value by retaining user accounts on our system until our users inform us of their desire to delete their data or close their accounts.
| Information Category | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Account and Profile | Ancestry will retain the Personal Information you provide while creating your account and your profile until such time as you delete your account. |
| Family Tree | Due to the multi-generational significance of family trees, Ancestry will retain your family tree data to provide you with continuous access, updated features, and the ability to enhance your family tree. Your family tree data is kept until you delete your family tree or your account. |
| DNA | Ancestry retains your DNA Data to provide you with the features and functionality you purchase (or are gifted), including continuously updated features, increasingly granular ethnicity estimates and improved regions and communities, as well as new other features based on your DNA Data. Your DNA Data is kept until you delete your DNA test results or your account. If you were a customer of AncestryHealth, our AncestryHealth laboratory partners are required to retain your DNA Data and test result for a period of at least seven years, or as required by state law and the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Act (CLIA) and the guidelines that apply to laboratories certified by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). |
| Related Brands | Some of our related brands (AncestryDNA, Fold3, Forces War Records, Newspapers.com™, Archives, We Remember, and Find a Grave) have their own account logins and will retain the Personal Information you provide while creating your account and your profile as needed to provide you with continuous and updated Services until such time as you ask us to delete it. |
| Usage Information | We retain usage information (e.g., visits to sites) in a depersonalized or aggregated form. Once aggregated, this information ceases to be Personal Information and will not be subject to user deletion requests. |
10. How Can I Delete My Personal Information?
You can delete your Personal Information from Ancestry at any time.
| Information Category | How To Delete |
|---|---|
| Personal Information | You can delete your Personal Information from Ancestry by following these instructions. If you have shared information with other users (for example, by making your family trees public or by sharing your DNA results directly with other users), Ancestry will not be able to remove any copies of information that other users may have retained, which can only be removed by your contacting the other user and asking them to delete it. Please direct any request to remove information from linked archival records to the responsible archival entity. We will consider requests for removal of Personal Information from the searchable indexes of the records we hold on a case-by-case basis in accordance with law. For information on Personal Information processed by Ancestry relating to non-Ancestry users please click here. |
| Genetic | If you request that Ancestry delete your DNA Data, we will delete all Genetic Information from our production, development, analytics, and research systems within 30 days. To request the destruction of your Biological Samples, you must contact Member Services. If you have agreed to our Informed Consent to Research, we will not be able to remove your de-identified Genetic Information from active or completed research projects, but we will not use it for any new research projects. |
| General | There may be some latency in deleting your Personal Information from our backup systems after it has been deleted from our production, development, analytics, and research systems. Our laboratory partners may also retain information they receive from us to comply with laws or regulations requiring retention of certain data, such as the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments regulations administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Ancestry also retains certain information as reasonably necessary to comply with our legal obligations (including law enforcement requests), resolve disputes, maintain security, prevent fraud and abuse, as well as to comply with tax, payment industry, securities, and clinical regulatory compliance requirements. |
| Related Brands | To delete information from our related brands (Fold3, Forces War Records, Newspapers.com™, Archives, We Remember, and Find a Grave), you can contact us at the related brand and request that your Personal Information be deleted from that service. Some Services may also have an online request form accessible from that service’s account settings menu and viewable here. |
Ancestry maintains a comprehensive information security program designed to protect our customers’ Personal Information using administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.
The specific security measures used are based on the sensitivity of the Personal Information collected. We have measures in place to protect against inappropriate access, loss, misuse, or alteration of Personal Information (including Genetic Information) under our control.
The Ancestry security team regularly reviews our security and privacy practices and enhances them as necessary to help ensure the integrity of our systems and your Personal Information.
We use secure server software to encrypt Personal Information (including Genetic Information), and we only partner with security companies that meet and commit to our security standards. While we cannot guarantee that loss, misuse, or alteration of data will not occur, we use appropriate technical and organizational measures to prevent this.
It is also important for you to guard against unauthorized access to your Personal Information by maintaining strong passwords and protecting against the unauthorized use of your own computer or device.
12. International Data Transfers
We are a global business and will transfer your Personal Information to countries other than your own country, including to the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France. These countries, which are outside the EEA, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom may not offer the same level of data protection as in your home country. When we transfer your Personal Information (including your Genetic Information) between Ancestry’s Ireland-based company and Ancestry’s U.S.-based companies for processing in the United States, we rely on established transfer mechanisms such as Standard Contractual Clauses or the Data Privacy Framework. Ancestry remains responsible for any of your Personal Information that is shared with third parties for external processing on our behalf under the Accountability for Onward Transfer Principle of the Data Privacy Framework.
Ancestry and its subsidiaries (namely Ancestry.com Operations Inc, Ancestry.com Operations L.P., Ancestry.com DNA LLC, Ancestry International DNA LLC, FindAGrave Inc., and iArchives Inc.) comply with the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (EU-U.S. DPF), the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (Swiss-U.S. DPF) as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Ancestry has certified to the U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (EU-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of personal data received from the European Union in reliance on the EU-U.S. DPF and from the United Kingdom (and Gibraltar) in reliance on the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF. Ancestry has certified to the U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of personal data received from Switzerland in reliance on the Swiss-U.S. DPF. If there is any conflict between the terms in this Privacy Statement and the EU-U.S. DPF Principles and/or the Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles, the Principles shall govern. To learn more about the Data Privacy Framework (DPF) program, and to view our certification, please visit https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/.
In compliance with the EU-U.S. DPF, the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. DPF, Ancestry commits to resolve DPF Principles-related complaints about our collection and use of your Personal Information. EU, UK, and Swiss individuals with inquiries or complaints regarding our handling of Personal Information received in reliance on the EU-U.S. DPF, the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. DPF should first contact Ancestry at: [email protected].
In compliance with the EU-U.S. DPF, the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. DPF, Ancestry commits to cooperate and comply respectively with the advice of the panel established by the EU data protection authorities (DPAs), the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA), and the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) with regard to unresolved complaints concerning our handling of personal data received in reliance on the EU-U.S. DPF, the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. DPF.
As set forth in Annex I of the DPF Principles, in certain circumstances, an individual has the right to invoke binding arbitration to resolve complaints not resolved by other means. The Federal Trade Commission has jurisdiction over Ancestry’s compliance with the EU-U.S. DPF, the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF, and the Swiss-U.S. DPF.
13. Changes to This Privacy Statement
We may modify this Privacy Statement at any time, but we will provide prominent advance notice of any material changes to this Privacy Statement, such as by posting a notice through the Services, on our websites, or sending you an email, to provide you the opportunity to review the changes and choose whether to continue using the Services.
We will also notify you of non-material changes to this Privacy Statement as of their effective date by posting a notice through the Services, on our websites, or sending you an email.
If you object to any changes, you may delete your account as described in Section 10.
14. Legal Bases Under EU General Data Protection Regulation for Processing Personal Information of EU Residents
Under EU/EEA and UK law, we are required to specify the purposes for which we process your Personal Information and the legal bases which we rely on to do this. Ancestry relies on a number of legal bases to collect and process your Personal Information and Genetic Information. You can view the details of our legal bases here.
15. Identity and Contact Details of the Data Controller
Customers in the United States
If you reside in the United States, Ancestry.com Operations, L.P., Ancestry.com Operations Inc., and Ancestry.com DNA, LLC, are responsible for the use of your data and for responding to any requests related to your Personal Information.
| Postal Address | ||
|---|---|---|
| For Users Located in the United States | [email protected] | Ancestry.com Operations, L.P. Attn: Privacy Office 153 Townsend Street, Suite 800 San Francisco, CA 94107 |
| U.S. State Privacy Requests | [email protected] | N/A |
| Authorized Agent Support | [email protected] | N/A |
Customers Outside the United States
If you reside outside the United States, Ancestry Ireland Unlimited Company is your data controller.
Users outside of the United States may contact the Irish Data Protection Commission, or your local Data Protection Authority.
| Postal Address | ||
|---|---|---|
| For Users Located Outside of the United States | [email protected] | Ancestry Ireland Unlimited Company Attn: Privacy Office 10th floor, EXO Building Point Square Plaza East Wall Road Dublin 1 Ireland |
For Ancestry Customers. For details on how to contact us, you can click here, or you can submit questions via chat.
Law Enforcement Requests. Requests for information from law enforcement should follow Ancestry’s Guide for Law Enforcement.
16. U.S. Resident Additional Privacy Statement
Ancestry provides this U.S. Resident Additional Privacy Statement (“U.S. Statement”), applicable to California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia, and other U.S. residents, as a supplement to our Privacy Statement, to provide information as to how you may exercise your rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), the Colorado Privacy Act (“CPA”), the Connecticut Data Privacy Act (“CTDPA”), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VCDPA”) and the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (“UCPA”). This U.S. Statement covers all Ancestry websites, services, and mobile apps that link to this U.S. Statement, including Ancestry, AncestryDNA, Fold3, Forces War Records, Newspapers.com™, Archives, We Remember, and Find a Grave (throughout, collectively, as applicable “Ancestry” “we” or “our”). It applies to the Personal Information (defined above) we collect from your use of our Services and through any other means by which you engage with us.
16.1 Categories of Personal Information
Ancestry collects, and has collected in the 12 months prior to the effective date of this U.S. Statement, the following categories of Personal Information:
- Identifiers, such as name, username, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, IP address, your mobile device identifier, email address, account name, driver’s license;
- Personal information described in subdivision (e) of Section 1798.80 not covered by an existing category (physical characteristics or descriptions);
- Characteristics of protected classifications under applicable state or federal law, such as self-reported assigned sex at birth and birthdate. This also includes Your Content (as defined in our Terms and Conditions) you choose to disclose with us that is considered a legally protected class under applicable state or federal law;
- Commercial information, such as products or services purchased, obtained, or considered or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies;
- Internet usage information, such as your browsing history, search history, and information regarding your interaction with our sites and advertisements;
- Geolocation data, such as location of your device or computer and any metadata associated with digital photographs uploaded to Find a Grave, including the location, date, and time the photo was taken;
- Sensory data, such as audio, electronic, and visual information (e.g., audio or video recordings you upload, recordings of calls with Ancestry Member Services or information you voluntarily disclose when doing consumer insights research with us);
- Inferences derived from Personal Information, such as to suggest familial relationships and to create consumer profiles for the purposes of research, product development and marketing; and
- Sensitive Personal Information, such as driver’s license, account login information, racial or ethnic origin, and genetic data, depending on how you use the services. We do not use or disclose Sensitive Personal Information to infer characteristics about you, other than those inferences that are an inherent part of the Ancestry services, such as your ethnicity estimate, traits, and Genetic Communities.
Some categories of information are collected only if you use certain of our Services.
16.2 Business Purposes
Ancestry uses the categories of Personal Information described in Section 16.1 for the following business purposes:
- Providing, personalizing, improving, updating, and expanding Ancestry’s Services;
- Communicating to you about the Services;
- Helping to ensure security and integrity of the Services; and
- Marketing new products and offers from us or our business partners based on your interests.
16.3 Categories of Sources of Personal Information
Ancestry collects, and has collected in the 12 months prior to the effective date of this U.S. Statement, categories of Personal Information described in Section 16.1 from the following categories of sources:
- You, our user/visitor—this source of Personal Information depends on your use of the Services, including when you submit Your Content (as defined in our Terms and Conditions);
- The Ancestry Companies (defined in Section 7);
- Public records;
- Historical records; and
- Third parties.
16.4 Disclosure of Personal Information for Business Purposes
Ancestry discloses, and has disclosed in the 12 months prior to the effective date of this U.S. Statement, with the following categories of third parties the correlating categories of Personal Information for a business purpose:
| Categories of Third Parties | The Categories of Personal Information We Disclose |
|---|---|
| Other Ancestry Users (if you disclosed your Personal Information on Ancestry) |
|
| Ancestry Companies |
|
| Service Providers |
|
| Research Partners | Refer to the Informed Consent to Research for information on what is disclosed with research partners, which includes:
|
| Law Enforcement or Other Regulatory Bodies | We do not voluntarily disclose your Personal Information to law enforcement or regulatory bodies. We require a valid legal process as described in Section 7 before we would provide any data to law enforcement. For information on what data has been disclosed, see our bi-annual Transparency Report. |
16.5 Disclosure and Advertising Preferences
Ancestry shares, and has shared in the 12 months prior to the effective date of this U.S. Statement, with the following categories of third parties the correlating categories of Personal Information for targeted advertising:
| Categories of Third Parties | The Categories of Personal Information We Disclose |
|---|---|
| Marketing and Advertising Partners |
|
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to disclose information with our service providers and third-party partners for a variety of reasons, including to measure, target, and serve advertisements as further described in this Privacy Statement.
Under the laws in some U.S. jurisdictions, you have the right to opt out of our sharing of your Personal Information for online targeted advertising. Ancestry does not sell or share your Personal Information for other purposes. You can learn more about our practices and the controls we provide you or opt out of certain types of such sharing by visiting our Cookie Policy. To change your preferences around targeted advertising, please visit our Do Not Sell or Share my Personal Information/Opt Out of Targeted Advertising page or the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in the footer of some of our sites.
For logged-out users, these choices are browser and device-specific. If you use multiple devices such as your smartphone, laptop, or tablet when you engage with Ancestry Services, you will need to specify your choices for each device. If you clear cookies from the cache in your browser, your “Do Not Sell or Share” preference will be erased, and you’ll need to specify your choice again.
For logged-in users, Ancestry will store your choices both locally on the device and centrally within the Ancestry services via your account. We will update your local consent choice from the most recent centrally stored consent choice. If you are logged out and then log in later, the choice you made while logged out will be uploaded to the Ancestry service and will apply across your account. In the event of a conflict between choices, the most recent choice will prevail.
Some browsers or plug-ins use a Global Privacy Control (GPC), which you can learn more about at https://globalprivacycontrol.org. If our site detects a GPC signal from your device, we will interpret it as a request to opt out of selling or sharing your Personal Information and to opt out of targeted advertising. If you opt out of targeted advertising via the GPC or the opt-out preference on the Do Not Sell or Share my Personal Information/Opt Out of Targeted Advertising page, we may still deliver advertising to you that is not tailored based on your Personal Information.
Ancestry does not sell or share your Genetic Information with third-party marketers, insurance companies, or employers, and we will not use your Genetic Information for marketing or personalized advertising without your explicit consent.
16.6 Exercising Your Rights
16.6.1 Right to Know. You may have the right to request that we disclose what Personal Information we collect, use, disclose, or share. This includes the right to request the categories of Personal Information we have collected about you, the categories of sources of Personal Information, the business purpose for collecting, disclosing, or sharing Personal Information, the categories of third parties with whom we disclose or share categories of Personal Information, and the specific pieces of Personal Information we have collected about you.
If you are submitting a request to know on your own behalf, you can make your request online or by email.
To submit your request to know for Ancestry online, follow these step-by-step instructions on how to download your account data. This report will not include a copy of your DNA Data or family trees. If you want a copy of your family trees, follow these step-by-step instructions. If you want a copy of your DNA Data, follow these step-by-step instructions. Please note that if you download your DNA Data, you do so at your own risk.
To submit your request to know for our related brands (AncestryDNA, Fold3, Forces War Records, Newspapers.com™, Archives, We Remember, and Find a Grave), you can always contact us at the related brand and, for some Services, they may also have an online request form accessible from that service’s account settings menu (contact information and link to online request form, if available, are here).
To email your request to know, email us at usprivacyrequests@ancestry.com. We are required to verify your identity before providing you with a copy of your data. We will require you to provide proof of identity and current address (e.g., you may be required to provide a copy of your government-issued ID, which will be used solely to verify your identity and address).
If you are an “Authorized Agent” pursuant to the CCPA/CPRA and are submitting a request to know on behalf of one of our users, see Section 16.6.3.
16.6.2 Right to Delete. You may have the right to request that we delete your Personal Information.
You may submit a request to delete your own information either online or by email. To delete your Personal Information, you must delete your account and, once an account deletion request is completed, this process is irreversible. Your information (including family trees, records, photos, and DNA Data) will be permanently deleted.
To submit your request for deletion from Ancestry online, follow these step-by-step instructions on how to delete your account. To submit your request for deletion from our related brands (AncestryDNA, Fold3, Forces War Records, Newspapers.com™, Archives, We Remember, and Find a Grave), you can always contact us at the related brand and, for some Services, they may also have an online request form accessible from that service’s account settings menu (contact information and link to online request form, if available, are here).
To email your request to delete, email us at usprivacyrequests@ancestry.com. We are required to verify your identity before we delete your data. We will require you to provide proof of identity and current address (e.g., you may be required to provide a copy of your government-issued ID, which will be used solely to verify your identity and address).
If you are an “Authorized Agent” pursuant to the CCPA/CPRA and are submitting a request to know on behalf of one of our users, see Section 16.6.3.
16.6.3 Authorized Agents. In applicable jurisdictions, U.S. residents can use authorized agents to make requests to know and requests for deletion. To use an authorized agent, email us at [email protected]. Even if you choose to use an authorized agent for a request, your may still need to work directly with us to provide:
- Signed permission from the consumer allowing the authorized agent to act on the consumer’s behalf.
- Verification of the consumer’s identity (to be made directly by the consumer to us). We will require proof of identity and address (e.g., a copy of your government-issued ID, which will be used solely to verify your identity and address).
The report will be delivered to you via your Ancestry account. The report does not include a copy of the consumer’s DNA Data or family trees. If you want to download their family trees or DNA Data, see Section 16.6.1.
16.6.4 Right to Appeal. Depending on where you live, if your request to know or delete your data is denied, you may have the right to appeal. You can do so by contacting us at [email protected]. Please incorporate the phrase, “request for appeal” in the subject line and clearly state the specific reasons for your appeal. Your request will then be reviewed, and you will be informed of our decision.
16.6.5 Right to Correct. You have the right to correct inaccurate Personal Information that we maintain about you. You can do so by visiting Account Settings or contacting us at [email protected].
16.7 Selling. To opt out of targeted advertising, please see Section 16.5.
16.8 Sensitive Personal Information. We process sensitive personal information collected about you only to provide the Services, including to:
- Maintain the quality and safety of the Services;
- Improve the Services;
- Detect security incidents;
- Resist and prosecute malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal actions directed at Ancestry; and
- Maintain or service accounts, provide customer service, process or fulfill orders and transactions, verify customer information, process payments, provide analytic services, and provide storage.
We may also process this sensitive personal information as needed to help ensure people’s physical safety and as required by applicable law.
16.9 Non-discrimination. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights under applicable U.S. privacy regulations.
16.10 California’s Shine the Light Law. California Civil Code Section 1798.83, known as the “Shine the Light” law, permits users who are California residents to request and obtain from us a list of what Personal Information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for their direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year and the names and addresses of those third parties. Requests may be made only once a year and are free of charge. Under Section 1798.83, Ancestry currently does not share any Personal Information with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.
16.11 Annual Reporting. Click here to see our annual, global Right to Know/Subject Access and Right to Delete requests.
16.12 Contact Us. If you have questions about our U.S.-related privacy policies or practices, please contact us at usprivacyrequests@ancestry.com.
16.13 Actions for Relief. Various federal, state, and local laws may protect your Personal Information.
California residents who wish to allege a violation of the California Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) may file a complaint with the California Attorney General or their district attorney. Residents of cities with more than 750,000 residents may file a complaint with their city attorney, and residents of cities with full-time city prosecutors may file a complaint with their city prosecutor. If you wish to file a complaint with your district attorney, city attorney, or city prosecutor, contact their local office for more information. California residents who believe that their Personal Information was used improperly may file a complaint with the California Attorney General or California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA).
Minnesota residents who wish to allege a violation of the Minnesota Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) may file a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Commerce, pursuant to Minn. Stat. §45.027.
Virginia residents who wish to allege a violation of Va. Code Ann. §59.1-593 through §59.1-602 of 2023 (relative to genetic data privacy) may file a complaint with the Virginia Attorney General.
Residents of other states who believe that their Personal information was used improperly may file a complaint with their attorney general or applicable regulatory body.
17. Australian Resident Additional Privacy Statement
If the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) applies to the handling of your Personal Information, the following clauses will also apply.
Genetic Information is considered “Sensitive Information” as set out under the Privacy Act. We will collect, use or disclose sensitive information about you only as permitted by law, for example where we have received your consent to do so or the collection is required or authorized by law.
In relation to Section 8 (Your Rights and Choices Regarding Your Personal Information), you may have the right to make a complaint to the relevant privacy or data protection regulator in your jurisdiction. However, if you have any questions or concerns about our handling of your Personal Information, or if you believe we have not complied with this Privacy Statement or the relevant privacy law in your jurisdiction, we would appreciate it if you contact us in the first instance using the details in Section 15. We will investigate the complaint and determine what action, if any, to take.
18. Brazilian Resident Additional Privacy Statement
This section addresses the rights and obligations established by Law 13.709/2018 – Brazilian General Data Protection Regulations ("LGPD") that apply when:
- The operation of Personal Information processing occurs in Brazil;
- You offer products and services in Brazil; or
- When Personal Information is collected in Brazil.
The law grants users certain rights, as described in Section 8. In addition to the rights provided in Section 8, the LGPD provides other rights:
- Information of entities with which the controller has shared data. You may ask Ancestry to provide information regarding sharing of Personal Information with third parties;
- Anonymization, blocking or deleting unnecessary, excessive, or unlawfully processed data. Due to the principles of adequacy and necessity, you may request that Ancestry anonymize, block or delete unnecessary, unreasonable, or unlawfully processed Personal Information;
- Revocation of Consent. You may request the revocation of the Consent given to Ancestry to process Personal Information at any time; and
- Opposition to Treatment if Improper. You may object to improper processing of Personal Information.
To exercise any of these rights, please see Section 8.