Privacy Statement

Ancestry · agreement dated 12 May 2026 · Official agreement

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Ancestry Privacy Statement

Effective: 12 May 2026

Summary of Changes

This summary is intended to help you better understand recent changes to Ancestry’s Privacy Statement and how the changes may impact you. We encourage you to review the Privacy Statement in its entirety, along with the Terms and Conditions.

In our most recent update:

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:

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. This includes Ancestry and [AncestryDNA](https://www.ancestry.com/dna), as well as our “Related Brands” ([Fold3](https://www.fold3.com); [Newspapers.com](https://www.newspapers.com); [Archives](https://www.archives.com); [We Remember](https://weremember.com); [Forces War Records](https://uk.forceswarrecords.com); and [Find a Grave](https://www.findagrave.com)). Within this Privacy Statement, we refer to all of these websites, services, and mobile apps collectively as “Ancestry.” Other services or websites managed by us that do not link to this Privacy Statement are governed by their own separate privacy statements.

U.S. Customers. The U.S. Resident Additional Privacy Statement and the [Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/wa-health-privacy) contain additional details for U.S. residents in certain states, as further outlined below.

Non-U.S. Customers. Ancestry Ireland Unlimited Company is the controller of your Personal Information, and Section 8 contains information about your rights.

For information on Personal Information processed by Ancestry relating to non-Ancestry users please click [here](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/nonuser).

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Account Creation and Your Engagement with the Services
  • What Personal Information Does Ancestry Collect from You?
  • What Information Does Ancestry Collect Through Your Use of the Services?
  • Information We Collect from Other Sources
  • How Does Ancestry Use Your Personal Information?
  • What Information Do We Share, When Do We Share It, and Who Are the Recipients?
  • Your Rights and Choices Regarding Your Personal Information
  • What Are Our Retention Practices?
  • How Can I Delete My Personal Information?
  • Security
  • International Data Transfers
  • Changes to This Statement
  • Legal Bases Under EU General Data Protection Regulation for Processing Personal Information of EU Residents
  • Identity and Contact Details of the Data Controller
  • U.S. Resident Additional Privacy Statement
  • Australian Additional Privacy Statement
  • Brazilian Additional Privacy Statement
  • Introduction

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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/AboutCookies), which describes our use of browser cookies and similar tracking technologies.

  • Account Creation and Your Use of the 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) as described in this Privacy Statement.

  • 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 or in additional notices we provide at the time of collection. We require certain Account Information to deliver the Services in accordance with our [Ancestry Terms and Conditions](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/TermsAndConditions) and without this we will not be able to provide our Services to you.

Information Category Description

Account Information

Order and Payment Information

Payment and billing information, such as your credit card number, your billing and shipping address(es), and phone number (if required for delivery) when you sign up for a free trial or make a purchase, such as an Ancestry subscription or an AncestryDNA test kit.

AncestryDNA Registration Information When you register an AncestryDNA test kit, 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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/TermsAndConditions)), 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 Your Content as defined in our [Terms and Conditions](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/termsandconditions#your-content).

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”). We process your DNA Data to provide you with an ethnicity estimate (ancestral regions and ancestral journeys). We also process your DNA Data to provide you information about your degree of relatedness to other users in our DNA database and some genetic markers associated with certain biological, physiological, behavioral traits, other characteristics (such as hair thickness and eye color), or traits associated with preferences and wellness. As further described in [Section 7](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/privacystatement#shared-info) 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 (ancestral regions and ancestral journeys), 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 to Research](https://www.ancestry.com/dna/consent) 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. Some of this information may be considered “Consumer Health Data” under applicable laws; for more details, see our [Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/wa-health-privacy). If you agree to our [Informed Consent to Research](https://www.ancestry.com/dna/consent), 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 written communications (such as recordings of calls with Member Services, transcripts of live agent chat, interactions with our AI-powered support or research assistants, and emails 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.

  • 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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/AboutCookies), 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,” “Pin,” or “Follow Us” links to sites such as Facebook, X, 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 the 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.

  • 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.

  • 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, replying STOP to text messages, by changing your [communication settings](https://www.ancestry.com/secure/account/emailpreferences), or by following the instructions in marketing communications you receive. SMS marketing is also subject to our [SMS Terms](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/sms-terms). We do not share text messaging originator opt-in data or consent with any third parties or affiliates.

Controls for Ancestry’s Related Brands are available through their settings and are listed [here](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/related-brands). For advertising on third-party platforms, we rely on our own legitimate interests as the legal basis (please see [Section 7](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/privacystatement#shared-info)), and you should control your marketing preferences directly on those platforms.

Genetic Information Ancestry uses your Genetic Information for the following purposes:

Ancestry shares your Personal Information (including your Genetic Information) with third parties only as detailed in the table below or with your specific consent.

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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/corporate-structure) (the “Ancestry Companies”) to provide and improve our Services.

We transfer your Personal Information (including your Genetic Information) between Ancestry’s Ireland-based company and Ancestry’s U.S.-based companies. For more information on this see [Section 12](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/privacystatement#data-transfer).

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 Services 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:

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](https://www.ancestry.com/dna/consent). 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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/collaborations).

Law Enforcement

Ancestry does not voluntarily provide access to user data 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 as detailed in [Ancestry’s Guide for Law Enforcement](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/lawenforcement). We do not allow law enforcement or anyone working on their behalf 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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/transparency) 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.

Legacy Accounts and Named Beneficiaries To help preserve your family history, you can designate a “Legacy Contact” in your Account Settings to receive access to your account if you can’t use it anymore. If a transfer request is made, we will verify the Legacy Contact’s identity and require proof of the qualifying event (such as a death certificate) before granting access. Upon verification, we will share your account access and Personal Information with your designated contact. They will then assume ownership of the account.

  • Your Rights and Choices Regarding Your Personal Information

All users (as defined in our [Terms and Conditions](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/TermsAndConditions)) 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 EU 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](https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/individuals/exercising-your-rights/complaints-handling-investigations-and-enforcement-individuals)) 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](https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tools/treesettings) 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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/related-brands).

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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/AboutCookies). 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](https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tools/treesettings). 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.

  • What Are Our Retention Practices?

The 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 ancestral regions and ancestral journeys, as well as other new 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 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.

  • How Can I Delete My Personal Information?

You can delete, or request that we 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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/nonuser).

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](https://www.ancestry.com/dna/consent), 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, 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 the account settings menu and viewable [here](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/related-brands).

  • Security

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.

  • 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/](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.

  • 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.

  • 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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/legalbases).

  • 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.

Email Postal Address

For Users Located in the United States [email protected] Ancestry.com Operations, L.P. Attn: Privacy Office 42 Future Way, Suite 400 Draper, UT 84020

U.S. State Privacy Requests [email protected] N/A

Authorized Agent Support [email protected] N/A

Customers Outside the United States

Users outside the United States may contact the Irish Data Protection Commission or your local data protection supervisory authority (EU/EEA residents), the Information Commissioner’s Office (UK residents) or your local Data Protection Authority (Others).

Email 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](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/lawenforcement).

  • U.S. Resident Additional Privacy Statement

This U.S. Resident Additional Privacy Statement (“U.S. Statement”), supplements our Privacy Statement and provides additional information about the Personal Information we collect, process, and share. It also provides information on how residents of U.S. states that provide for the privacy rights outlined below may exercise those rights. This U.S. Statement covers all Ancestry websites, services, and mobile apps that link to this U.S. Statement, including Ancestry, [AncestryDNA](https://www.ancestry.com/dna), [Fold3](https://www.fold3.com), [Forces War Records](https://uk.forceswarrecords.com), [Newspapers.com](https://www.newspapers.com), [Archives](https://www.archives.com), [We Remember](https://weremember.com), and [Find a Grave](https://www.findagrave.com). It applies to the Personal Information we collect from your use of our Services and through any other means by which you engage with us. Please see our [Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/wa-health-privacy) for additional information about “Consumer Health Data” as defined under certain state consumer health privacy laws.

16.1 Categories of Personal Information

Ancestry collects the following categories of Personal Information:

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:

16.3 Categories of Sources of Personal Information

Ancestry collects the categories of Personal Information described in Section 16.1 from the following categories of sources:

16.4 Disclosure of Personal Information for Business Purposes

Ancestry discloses 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

If you agree to our [Informed Consent to Research](https://www.ancestry.com/dna/consent), certain information is disclosed to research partners, including:

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 [Transparency Report](https://www.ancestry.com/c/transparency).

16.5 Disclosure of Personal Information for Targeted Advertising

Subject to your preferences, Ancestry shares some Personal Information with third parties for targeted advertising:

Categories of Third Parties Categories of Personal Information We Disclose

Marketing and Advertising Partners

16.6 Exercising Your Rights

16.6.1 Right to Know. You may have the right to request access to your Personal Information. 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.

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, contact us at the Related Brand. Some Services may also have an online request form accessible from the account settings menu (contact information and link to online request form, if available, are [here](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/related-brands)).

To email your request to know, email us at [email protected]. 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” 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.

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, contact us at the Related Brand. Some Services may also have an online request form accessible from the account settings menu (contact information and link to online request form, if available, are [here](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/related-brands)).

To email your request to delete, email us at [email protected]. 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” and are submitting a request to delete 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 on your behalf. Even if you choose to use an authorized agent for a request, you may still need to work directly with us to provide:

If you are an authorized agent, email us at [email protected].

Opt-Out Preference Signals. We recognize valid opt-out preference signals (such as the Global Privacy Control) as a valid request from an authorized agent to opt out of targeted advertising and sale/sharing. The verification requirements above (such as signed permission or ID) do not apply to these automated signals.

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] and following the instructions provided to you when the denial was made.

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].

16.6.6 Right to Opt Out of Sharing and Selling. We use cookies and similar tracking technologies and integrations with third party marketing and advertising partners 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. Other than in the context of targeting advertising (cross context behavioral advertising), as described in California Civil Code Section 1798.140(ah), Ancestry does not share your Personal Information and does not sell Personal Information. Further, Ancestry does not sell or share your Genetic Information to or 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. You can learn more about our practices or opt out of certain types of such sharing by visiting our [Cookie Policy](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/AboutCookies). To opt out of the processing of your Personal Information for targeted advertising, please visit our [Do Not Sell or Share my Personal Information/Opt Out of Targeted Advertising](https://www.ancestry.com/legal/ccpa-donotshare-sell) page. This page is also linked 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 the 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 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](https://www.ancestry.com/legal/ccpa-donotshare-sell) page, we may still deliver advertising to you that is not tailored based on your Personal Information.

16.6.7 Non-discrimination. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights under applicable U.S. privacy regulations.

16.7 Sensitive Personal Information. We process sensitive personal information collected about you only to provide the Services, including to:

We may also process this sensitive personal information as needed to help ensure people’s physical safety and as required by applicable law.

16.8 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.

16.9 Annual Reporting. [Click here](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/ccpa-reporting-metrics) to see our annual, global requests received from users.

16.10 Contact Us. If you have questions about our U.S.-related privacy policies or practices, please contact us at usprivacyrequests@ancestry.com.

16.11 Actions for Relief.

Alabama residents who wish to allege a violation of the Alabama Genetic Data Privacy Act of 2024 may file a complaint with the [Alabama Attorney General](https://www.alabamaag.gov/consumer-complaint).

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](https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company) 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](https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company) or [California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA)](https://cppa.ca.gov).

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](https://mn.gov/commerce/consumer/file-a-complaint), 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](https://www.oag.state.va.us/consumer-protection/index.php/file-a-complaint).

  • 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.

  • Brazilian Resident Additional Privacy Statement

If you are a resident of Brazil or your Personal Information is collected in Brazil, in addition to the rights provided in [Section 8](https://www.ancestry.com/c/legal/privacystatement#your-info-access), the following rights and protections apply to you under the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (LGPD):

To exercise any of these rights, please see Section 8.