Personal Information means information that can identify you, including Genetic Information; deceased people excluded
Ancestry collects, stores and processes "Personal Information" to provide and improve the Services. Personal Information is information that can identify you directly or indirectly, including 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 statement, so the statement's protections and rights do not cover it. The statement separately says that your physical sample and the DNA extracted from it ("Biological Samples") are not Personal Information either, although it describes how they can be destroyed.
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we collect, store, and otherwise process “Personal Information”, which is information that can identify you, directly or indirectly
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.
Qualifications & exceptions
Information about deceased people is excluded from Personal Information.
Biological Samples are separately excluded from Personal Information in the collection section.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Creating an account: Ancestry collects, processes and shares your information, including Genetic Information if you test
When you create an Ancestry account, Ancestry will collect, process and share your Personal Information as described in the statement. If you have taken an AncestryDNA test, this includes your Genetic Information. The limits on that sharing are set out in the sharing section.
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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.
Qualifications & exceptions
Genetic Information is included only if you have taken an AncestryDNA test.
Sharing is limited to what the statement describes.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
What is collected depends on your use; some Account Information is required to use the Services
The types of Personal Information Ancestry collects depend on how you use the Services. Categories are described in this section or in additional notices given at the time of collection. Ancestry requires certain Account Information to deliver the Services under its Terms and Conditions; without it, Ancestry says it cannot provide the Services to you.
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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
and without this we will not be able to provide our Services to you.
Qualifications & exceptions
Some categories may be described only in notices given at the time of collection, not in this statement.
Not stated here
The additional collection-time notices are not supplied.
The Terms and Conditions are a separate document and are not supplied.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Third-party sign-in (Facebook, Google, Apple) may pass your name, email and profile photo to Ancestry
Certain Ancestry brands let you sign in through third-party services such as Facebook, Google and Apple. If you use one, that service may provide Ancestry with Personal Information such as your name, email address and profile photo.
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Certain Ancestry brands support third-party sign-in services such as Facebook, Google, and Apple. These services may provide to Ancestry Personal Information such as your name, email address, and profile photo; and
Qualifications & exceptions
Only certain Ancestry brands support third-party sign-in.
Applies only if you choose to sign in this way.
Not stated here
Exactly what each sign-in provider shares depends on that provider and is not specified.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Optional phone number: test status, Member Services, multi-factor login, and SMS only if you opted in
You may give Ancestry a phone number. It is used to notify you of AncestryDNA test result status, to help you when you contact Member Services, to let you turn on multi-factor authentication, and to send you SMS messages only if you have expressly opted in.
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You may provide a phone number so we can (i) notify you of AncestryDNA test result status; (ii) assist you when you contact Ancestry Member Services (“Member Services”), (iii) allow you to enable multi-factor authentication; and/or (iv) send you SMS messages if you have expressly opted in.
Qualifications & exceptions
Providing a phone number is optional ("may provide").
SMS messages are sent only if you have expressly opted in.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Registering a DNA kit: Ancestry collects the kit code, your assigned sex at birth and your birthdate
When you register an AncestryDNA test kit, Ancestry collects the kit's registration code (if applicable), your assigned sex at birth and your birthdate. The U.S. supplement later treats sex at birth and birthdate as protected-class characteristics and says they are disclosed to partner laboratories.
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When you register an AncestryDNA test kit, we collect:
The registration code associated with your AncestryDNA test kit (if applicable);
Your assigned sex at birth; and
Your birthdate.
Qualifications & exceptions
Collected when you register an AncestryDNA test kit.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Optional DNA surveys feed feature development, may be Consumer Health Data, and may be used for research
If you agree to take DNA surveys, Ancestry collects your answers and uses them to develop and improve AncestryDNA features such as traits. Some answers may be "Consumer Health Data" under applicable laws, which a separate Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy covers. If you also agree to the Informed Consent to Research, your survey answers may be used for research.
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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
your survey responses may also be used for research.
Qualifications & exceptions
Only if you agree to take DNA surveys.
Research use requires agreeing to the Informed Consent to Research.
Not stated here
The Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy and the Informed Consent to Research are not supplied.
Which answers count as Consumer Health Data, and under which laws, is not specified here.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Messages with other users, Member Services calls, chats and AI assistant interactions are collected
Ancestry hosts and keeps your communications with other users through its platform's communication features. It also collects information when you contact Member Services or other support teams, including call recordings, live chat transcripts, interactions with its AI-powered support or research assistants, and emails, as well as information you volunteer in consumer insights research.
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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.
Qualifications & exceptions
Consumer insights research information is collected when you voluntarily share it.
Not stated here
How long call recordings and chat transcripts are kept is not specified.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Contests and promotions you enter collect personal information under rules given at entry
If you voluntarily take part in contests or special promotions Ancestry runs or sponsors, it collects Personal Information; the details are provided when you enter.
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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.
Qualifications & exceptions
Only when you voluntarily participate.
Not stated here
The details given at entry are not supplied.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Find a Grave collects photo location, date and time metadata; photo volunteers share their location
On Find a Grave, Ancestry collects metadata from uploaded photos, including where, when and at what time each photo was taken. If you choose to be a Find a Grave photo volunteer, you give Ancestry your location, which you can change or remove at any time.
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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.
Qualifications & exceptions
Photo volunteer location is provided only if you choose to volunteer, and you can change or remove it at any time.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Ancestry logs your IP address, device, browser, carrier and the sites you visited before and after
Ancestry collects how you access the Services, including the website you visited before and after Ancestry's site. It also collects the IP address your computer, mobile device or proxy uses, your operating system, web browser, mobile-device identifier and mobile operating system, and the name of your internet service provider or mobile carrier.
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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:
Your computer operating system;
Your web browser;
Your mobile-device identifier provided by your mobile-device operating system and your mobile operating system; and
The name of your internet service provider or mobile carrier.
Computer and Mobile Device Information
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Device geolocation is collected only with your permission
Ancestry collects geolocation information from your device with your permission.
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Ancestry collects geolocation information from your device with your permission.
Qualifications & exceptions
Requires your permission.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Cookies and integrations with marketing and advertising partners collect data, per the unsupplied Cookie Policy
Ancestry uses cookies and similar technologies, plus technical integrations with marketing and advertising partners, as described in its Cookie Policy, which the statement says forms part of the Privacy Statement. The Cookie Policy itself is not supplied, so the specific technologies, partners and controls are not described here.
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Ancestry uses cookies and similar technologies as well as technical integrations with marketing and advertising partners as described in our
which forms a part of this Privacy Statement.
Not stated here
The Cookie Policy is not supplied.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Ancestry collects public and historical records that may contain information about you or non-users
Ancestry collects records from various sources, usually official record sources, including newspapers and birth, death, marriage and census records. These may contain Personal Information about you and about people who are not Ancestry users, and are usually made available to users as part of an Ancestry subscription.
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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.
Qualifications & exceptions
Records may also contain information about non-Ancestry users, whose handling is covered by a separate page.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Ancestry receives information about you from third parties and licenses data to personalize offers
Ancestry receives information about you from third parties. For example, it occasionally supplements its own data with information licensed from third parties to personalize the Services and its offers to you.
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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.
Information from Third Parties
Not stated here
The third-party sources and the licensed data types are not named.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
Buying a gift subscription or DNA kit gives Ancestry the recipient's name, address and email
If you buy a gift subscription or AncestryDNA test kit, Ancestry collects the recipient's name, shipping address and email address and the purchase information needed to complete the gift and notify the recipient.
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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.
Qualifications & exceptions
Collected only for gift purchases.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
U.S. categories: identifiers (driver's license only for verification) and California records-law personal information
The U.S. Statement lists the categories of Personal Information Ancestry collects. They begin with identifiers such as name, username, postal address, unique and online identifiers, IP address, mobile device identifier, email address and account name, plus a driver's license only if needed to verify your identity for an access or deletion request through Member Services. The list also includes personal information described in a cited California Civil Code provision (section 1798.80(e)) not covered elsewhere, such as physical characteristics or descriptions; this analysis does not interpret that provision.
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Ancestry collects 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 (only if necessary to verify your identity when contacting Member Services to make an access or deletion request);
Personal information described in Section 1798.80(e) of the California Civil Code not covered by an existing category, such as physical characteristics or descriptions;
16.1 Categories of Personal Information
Qualifications & exceptions
A driver's license is collected only if necessary to verify identity for an access or deletion request.
Not stated here
The cited California Civil Code provision is not supplied or interpreted.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
U.S. categories also include protected traits, purchases, browsing, location, recordings and inferences
The U.S. Statement's list of collected categories continues with: characteristics of protected classifications, such as self-reported sex assigned at birth and birthdate if you register a DNA kit, and any of Your Content you disclose that counts as a legally protected class; commercial information such as purchases and purchasing tendencies; internet and usage information such as browsing and search history and interaction with Ancestry sites and ads; geolocation, including device location and Find a Grave photo metadata; audio, electronic and visual information such as uploaded images and recordings, Member Services call recordings and consumer research input; and inferences derived from Personal Information. Some categories are collected only if you use certain Services.
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Characteristics of protected classifications under applicable state or federal law, such as self-reported assigned sex at birth and birthdate (if you register an AncestryDNA kit).
Commercial information, such as products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies;
Internet and other 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;
Audio, electronic, visual, and similar information, such as images, 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; and
Some categories of information are collected only if you use certain of our Services.
Qualifications & exceptions
Some categories are collected only if you use certain Services.
Sex at birth and birthdate are collected if you register an AncestryDNA kit.
Data Access & Collection · Company practice
U.S. sources: you, other Ancestry companies, public and historical records, and third parties
The U.S. Statement says Ancestry collects the listed categories from you (depending on how you use the Services, including Your Content), from the Ancestry Companies (defined in the sharing section, numbered Section 7), from public records, from historical records, and from third parties.
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16.3 Categories of Sources of Personal Information
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