FamilyTreeNow is a free and popular website designed to assist individuals in constructing their family trees and unearthing intriguing genealogical secrets. Offering access to a treasure trove of public records and a user-friendly family tree builder, FamilyTreeNow has sparked both excitement and controversy. From concerns about data accuracy to questions surrounding privacy, it’s a platform that has left users intrigued yet cautious. Here is everything you need to know about FamilyTreeNow, its services, data privacy concerns, and ways to opt out of their services.
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What Is FamilyTreeNow?
FamilyTreeNow is a website that helps trace ancestries, build family trees, and get contact details of millions of individuals.
Launched in 2014, this genealogy website is based in Roseville, California, and has over 1.6 billion personal records in its database.
Is FamilyTreeNow Free?
Yes. FamilyTreeNow is a free website allowing individuals to search for people and build and store their family tree without paying anything.
How To Use FamilyTreeNow?
FamilyTreeNow offers two primary services – people finder and family tree builder.
People Finder
Follow these easy steps to search for records on FamilyTreeNow’s database.
- Visit FamilyTreeNow’s website and click on the Search tab at the top.
- Fill details like the first and last names, location, and date of birth to start searching for people.
- To narrow the search, click on ‘add more criteria’ and fill in other details like birth country, date of death, street address, or phone number.
- The website shows all possible records that match the search criteria, and you can click on the ‘view details’ button of any record to get more detailed information.
- The website finds some details, including present and past addresses, contact details, possible relatives and associates, date of death, and maiden name.
Family Tree Builder
Below are the steps to use the family tree builder service.
- Visit FamilyTreeNow’s website and click the ‘Start Family Tree’ button.
- Enter your name and email ID and agree to the terms of use and privacy policy to get started.
- Enter your details to start creating the tree. You can keep building the tree by entering details of your parents, siblings, partners, children, and other relatives you know of.
- Anytime during the process, you can click on the ‘tree pages’ tab to opt for ‘view record matches.’ This will give you a list of people already on FamilyTreeNow who may fit the descriptions you have entered.
- Creating a complete family tree may take a while, especially if you don’t have much information about your ancestry.
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How’s FamilyTreeNow Different Than Other Websites?
Unlike other genealogy websites, FamilyTreeNow does not ask for a fee to utilize any of their services.
Some genealogy websites have free services but require customers to upgrade to premium services for a fee. FamilyTreeNow doesn’t offer such premium services either.
According to the website’s founders, their mission is to create the best genealogy website in the world that both amateur and professional genealogists can utilize.
Are The Results Accurate?
The accuracy of FamilyTreeNow’s records depends on two factors.
- The accuracy of data available in open public records.
- The accuracy of personal details entered by other users on the FamilyTreeNow database.
Why Are People Opting Out Of FamilyTreeNow?
The controversy surrounding FamilyTreeNow primarily revolves around the accessibility and potential misuse of personal information available on the site.
It has raised significant privacy concerns due to the ease with which personal details can be obtained.
Additionally, the website has been linked to cases of stalking and other malicious activities, sparking apprehension regarding the security and ethical implications of its services.
Furthermore, the owner of FamilyTreeNow, Dustin Weirich, has faced criticism for being unresponsive to requests for comment, which has fueled skepticism about the platform’s commitment to addressing privacy and security issues.
FamilyTreeNow: How To Opt-out?
FamilyTreeNow’s website tells you exactly how you could opt out of its services, so your information isn’t visible to those who search for it.
Here are the detailed steps to opt out.
- Visit FamilyTreeNow’s opt-out page, fill in your email ID, and click ‘begin the opt-out procedure.’
- Access the search records, fill in your details, and click on search.
- Find your listing and click on ‘view details.’
- Ensure that it’s your profile, and click the red opt-out button.
- You will receive an email confirming the opt-out request. Click on the confirmation link in the email.
- It may take up to 72 hours for your record to be removed from the website.
- If you have multiple records, please know that you should be repeating the process for each one of them.
FamilyTreeNow Reviews: What People Say
The internet is split in its opinion, having a free-to-access genealogy website.
Global genealogy enthusiasts are excited about having a free tool that helps them pursue their passion for genealogy.
However, a larger group of people are worried that this free database will give anyone access to your details, including your address, contact number, and relationships.
Pros and Cons
Here are some pros and cons of using FamilyTreeNow to help you make an informed decision.
| Pros | Cons |
| Unlimited free access to create a family tree and search for ancestry details | Risk of data privacy |
| Quick access to multiple public records all in one place | Since the database depends on open public records, it may be hard to eliminate inaccuracies and incomplete information |
| Advanced search features make it easy to narrow down search results | FamilyTreeNow does not have extensive customer support features like other paid websites |
Summary
- FamilyTreeNow is a genealogy website that allows individuals to search for people they may be related to or associated with and build a family tree, all for zero charges.
- FamilyTreeNow’s website accesses several open public records to bring together a comprehensive database of billions of records you can access freely.
- Since FamilyTreeNow compiles its database from public records, the accuracy of the information will depend on the accuracy of these open records.
- While some individuals are excited about the free access to billions of records, a larger group of people are worried about strangers and data phishers being able to access their information for free.
- People worried about data privacy can opt out of services by identifying their records and clicking the opt-out button.
References
https://www.familytreenow.com/
https://blog.incogni.com/family-tree-now-opt-out/
