Genealogy Chat

I put a thread on here yesterday, and someone replied. Nothing wrong with that. BUT
today a friend forwarded me a Google alert with that persons message on. Fortunately the content was only saying that they sent me a private email, but be very careful what you put on here.

I never realised Google could filter messages on this site.

Yes indeed it will as Genes is an open forum .

Oh yes, anything on the site other than a PM is potentially visible on the internet.

This is from GR's privacy statement within their T's and C's

"Any posting, including but not limited to the family tree details and/or message board postings you submit to the Genes Reunited Service (including any personal information you post) may be able to be viewed by non-Member internet users around the world including via internet search engines. We advise that you never reveal via the Genes Reunited Service any personal information about yourself or anyone else (for example: telephone numbers, home addresses or email addresses) which you do not want to be visible to third parties. "

which is also why you should be very careful about asking for look ups for people potentially still living, especially if the look up includes some sensitive info e.g. about illegitimate children etc

Try "googleing" your own name-you may be surprised !

oh that can be great fun!!


My daughter has a rather rare christian name ................. years ago she googled it to see how many there might be in the world.

Only about 10 listed


BUT






........................... lots of very dodgy sites by ladies from the Philippines and Malaysia, all allegedly having that same name! The services they offered were mind boggling!




sylvia

I have a message from one of my firm confidants,,.that Google now have complete access to whatever is written on these Boards..........I don't think that's a problem per se..but could be when it comes to living relatives.....

Derek (Derbyshire)

Amazed and quite worried to discover this thread. Had no idea this information so widely available. Have looked into concealing living people but seems to me this in some ways makes a bit of a nonsense of sharing trees at all. For example my father's eldest brother (very big family) was born 1894. I doubt he is still living but have no idea when he died so no date of death shown. As is the case for many relatives. If privacy setting means no-one else can see anyone born less than 120 years ago sharing a tree with someone who you are pretty sure is a distant relative would not be very helpful to them. Or am I misunderstanding.

Jeanie - it's only the boards that are generally available - trees are not.

As the sender of the pm that started this off - I was taken aback and googled it - and my goodness the rest of this thread is on there as well!

I didn't realise that this happened so I did as Elizabeth suggested and Googled my name and yes, there I was on Facebook and I have only been on it a few times!! Frightening.

Makes one a little more careful in the future, but it's a worry as to what some of the kids are putting on the likes of Facebook thus on the net.

I e-mailed a radio programme once - and was amazed to dicover that the e-mail (which was quite personal) could be Googled!!
Fortunately, unlike many people, my e-mail address isn't under my 'proper' first name - I use a nickname, so had to google my nickname (ie 'chalky' white) to see the e-mail.

This thread called internet safety
http://www.genesreunited.co.za/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=966721
was posted a couple of years ago.
Yes, anything posted in public can be seen, even if later deleted; this is why search engines can be useful picking up things relating to family history.

Anne-Marie

If you lock your settings down on facebook you can't be found like that


Go into.... Privacy settings
Then...... Search
Then ....Public search results......Un tick this

Also if you have things set so everyone one can see then change that too

Glad to hear it mgnv.

I too went Googling on my family. Only my son's name was showing but he does do a great deal on the internet including Twitter. Showed him that his photo, name - i.e. including middle name - etc. coming up. He said it shouldn't be doing that and went off to his computer to change his "settings". Thanks for the warning Joseanne.

Hope the nudgers keep nudging this up so it gets lots of attention. Sure there are a lot of us 'not very internet savvy souls' about.

Deleted data can sometimes appear in a search, however when you click on the link to see it, you will get a 'Not found' message. I think the links get deleted in the fullness of time but it can take a while.

Many people obviously don't realise that the minute you post anything on the web, send out an email, etc potentially it is available for all to see. I wouldn't rely on low level security gateways or site logins either (i.e. those that don't have a padlock) as these can also be bypassed.

I have just Googled my own name and it brings up over four pages. for GR, Ancestry, several other genforums, for a 'private' family tree site where my name is entered as a source of information, FaceBook, BBC Have Your Say an Alumni List, Yahoo member groups, Plaxo - the list is endless.

I, when 1911 census first came available was made aware by another family member of a family name error,and duly let the 1911 people know,via their contact procedure( which I assumed would be private)

THis communication I later found WAS in the public domain, giving the complete personal details of this error.

Bob

Yes, I'm one of them Jeaniealogist!. I find all this quite worrying, in particular Maggiewinchester's post about e-mails to radio programmes, which I've done several times.

I just tried googling my board name and Genes Reunited. The first hit was for my board name and GR. When I clicked on that, it took me straight into the GR site and an Invalid Thread and Board which was totally empty. Quite odd, but a bit Big Brotherish!

Sue

I've just done that C. Susie and found several of my posts on GR threads. I shall be very careful what I post from now on!