Stated principle: you control how your information, including DNA Data, is used, shared and retained
Among three guiding principles, Ancestry says it gives you control over the Personal Information you provide, including your DNA Data, and over how it is used, shared and retained. The other two principles are transparency and plain language. These are stated principles; the specific controls and their limits appear in the rights, retention and deletion sections.
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Ancestry follows three guiding principles:
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.
We work hard to be transparent about the Personal Information we collect and process;
We try to use easy-to-understand language to describe our privacy practices to help you make informed choices; and
Qualifications & exceptions
The control described covers information you provide to Ancestry; the concrete tools and their limits are set out in later sections.
Account & Service Control · Company practice
Account Information: your name, an email or username, and a password are required
To create an account, Ancestry collects your name, an email address or username, and a password you create. All three are marked as required.
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Account Information
Your name (required);
An email address or username (required);
A password that you create (required);
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Opt out of marketing emails or texts by unsubscribing, replying STOP, or changing settings
For email or SMS marketing you consented to, you can control it by using the unsubscribe link in a marketing email, replying STOP to text messages, changing your communication settings, or following instructions in the marketing message. SMS marketing is also subject to separate SMS Terms, which are not supplied. Ancestry says it does not share text-messaging originator opt-in data or consent with any third parties or affiliates.
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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
We do not share text messaging originator opt-in data or consent with any third parties or affiliates.
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies to marketing you consented to receive by email or SMS.
Not stated here
The SMS Terms are not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
A Legacy Contact you name can take over your account after verification of a qualifying event
You can designate a "Legacy Contact" in Account Settings to receive access to your account if you can no longer use it. When a transfer is requested, Ancestry verifies the contact's identity and requires proof of the qualifying event, such as a death certificate. After verification, Ancestry shares your account access and Personal Information with that contact, who then takes ownership of the account.
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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.
Qualifications & exceptions
Requires identity verification and proof of a qualifying event.
The Legacy Contact assumes ownership of the account, including its Personal Information.
Not stated here
Which events qualify beyond the death-certificate example is not specified.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
All users can get a data report, download DNA Data and trees, and delete trees, DNA results or the account
Every user, wherever located, can use Ancestry's online tools to request a report of the Personal Information they provided, download a copy of their DNA Data or family trees, and delete their family trees, DNA test results or account.
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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.
Qualifications & exceptions
The report covers Personal Information you provided to Ancestry.
Under laws such as GDPR, UK GDPR or Brazil's LGPD you may have rights to access, correct and port your data
Some data privacy laws, such as the EU GDPR, UK GDPR and Brazil's LGPD, give people specific rights. Depending on the applicable law, you may have the right to access your Personal Information and receive a copy, including the categories collected and disclosed; to correct inaccurate information; and to receive certain information in a format that can be sent to another data controller.
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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.
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.
You may have the right to request that we rectify or correct inaccurate Personal Information about you.
You may have the right to receive certain of your Personal Information in a format that can be transmitted to another data controller.
Qualifications & exceptions
These rights depend on the applicable law ("may have").
Not stated here
The statement names the laws but does not describe their content; this analysis does not interpret them.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You may object to legitimate-interest processing and can withdraw consent at any time
You may have the right to object to processing Ancestry does on the basis of its legitimate interests where it affects your rights and freedoms. Where you consented to processing for a specific purpose, you can withdraw that consent at any time; Ancestry will then stop further processing for that purpose, but processing done before withdrawal remains lawful.
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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.
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.
Qualifications & exceptions
The objection right applies where the processing impacts your rights and freedoms.
Withdrawal does not affect processing done before it.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
Exercise these rights through Ancestry's tools or by contacting Ancestry
You can exercise these rights using the tools Ancestry describes or by contacting it; the contact options are in the controller-details section (numbered Section 15).
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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.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You can view and update your information at any time in profile, account, communications and DNA settings
You can access and update the Personal Information you provide to Ancestry, such as email address, username and profile information, at any time in the privacy settings sections for your Public Profile, Account Settings, Communications Settings and DNA Settings.
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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:
Public Profile
Account Settings
Communications Settings
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
DNA Settings and Tree Settings control the privacy of your DNA results and family trees
Your DNA Settings are one of the privacy settings sections where you can manage your information. Privacy settings for family trees you created are managed in Tree Settings.
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DNA Settings
To learn how to manage the privacy settings for any family trees you have created on Ancestry, you can visit your
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Related Brands and mobile apps have their own privacy settings
Privacy settings for Ancestry's Related Brands are managed through a linked page (not supplied), and you can also control your information with settings in Ancestry's mobile apps, such as the Ancestry and Find a Grave apps.
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Ancestry strives to make it simple for you to manage your privacy across the Services. You can manage privacy settings for our Related Brands
You can also control your information using the settings available in our mobile applications, such as the Ancestry and Find a Grave apps.
Not stated here
The Related Brands settings page is not supplied.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You can download your family tree as a GEDCOM file
Ancestry lets you download your family tree information in the standard GEDCOM family tree file format from your Tree Settings.
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Ancestry allows you to download your family tree information in the standard GEDCOM family tree file format in your
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
If you object to a change, your option is to delete your account
If you object to any change to the Privacy Statement, the statement's stated option is to delete your account as the deletion section (numbered Section 10) describes. No other way to opt out of a change is offered.
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If you object to any changes, you may delete your account as described in Section 10.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
U.S. right to know: an online data report (without DNA Data or trees), or email with possible ID check
Depending on your state, you may have the right to know the categories of Personal Information collected about you, their sources, the business purposes, the categories of third parties receiving it, and the specific pieces collected. You can request this online through Ancestry's account data download; that report does not include your DNA Data or family trees, which you download separately, and a DNA download is at your own risk. Related Brand requests go to that brand. You can also email a request; you may need to provide a government-issued ID, which Ancestry says it uses solely to verify your identity and address. Authorized agents follow a separate process.
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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.
This report will not include a copy of your DNA Data or family trees.
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.
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 Exercising Your Rights
Qualifications & exceptions
Availability depends on applicable law ("may have").
The online report excludes DNA Data and family trees.
A government ID may be required, used solely for verification.
Account & Service Control · Procedure
U.S. residents can use authorized agents, but may still need to sign permission and verify identity
In applicable jurisdictions, U.S. residents can have an authorized agent make requests for them. Even then, you may still need to work with Ancestry directly to provide signed permission for the agent and verification of your identity, such as a government-issued ID used solely for verification. Agents contact Ancestry by email.
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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:
Signed permission allowing the authorized agent to act on your behalf.
Verification of your identity (e.g., a copy of your government-issued ID, which will be used solely to verify your identity and address).
If you are an authorized agent, email us at
Qualifications & exceptions
Only in applicable jurisdictions.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Depending on where you live, you may appeal a denied request to know or delete
Depending on where you live, if Ancestry denies your request to know or delete your data, you may have the right to appeal by contacting Ancestry by email and following the instructions given with the denial.
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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.
and following the instructions provided to you when the denial was made.
Qualifications & exceptions
Depends on where you live.
Not stated here
The email address is not legible in the saved source.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
You can correct inaccurate information in Account Settings or by contacting Ancestry
You have the right to correct inaccurate Personal Information Ancestry keeps about you, through Account Settings or by contacting Ancestry by email.
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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
Account & Service Control · Company commitment
Ancestry will not discriminate against you for exercising U.S. privacy rights
Ancestry says it will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights under applicable U.S. privacy regulations.
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16.6.7 Non-discrimination. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights under applicable U.S. privacy regulations.
Account & Service Control · User right or choice
Brazil: added LGPD rights to learn who data was shared with, block or delete excess data, revoke consent, and object
If you live in Brazil or your Personal Information is collected there, you have the rights in the general rights section (numbered Section 8) plus these under the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (LGPD): to ask Ancestry about sharing of your Personal Information with third parties; to request anonymization, blocking or deletion of unnecessary, excessive or unlawfully processed data; to revoke consent at any time; and to object to improper processing. You exercise them as the rights section describes. The statement names the LGPD without describing it; this analysis does not interpret it.
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If you are a resident of Brazil or your Personal Information is collected in Brazil, in addition to the rights provided in
the following rights and protections apply to you under the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (LGPD):
You may ask Ancestry to provide information regarding sharing of Personal Information with third parties;
you may request that Ancestry anonymize, block or delete unnecessary, unreasonable, or unlawfully processed Personal Information;
You may request the revocation of the consent given to Ancestry to process Personal Information at any time; and
You may object to improper processing of Personal Information.
To exercise any of these rights, please see Section 8.
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies to Brazilian residents or data collected in Brazil.