Familytreenow

You’ve Probably Never Heard Of This Creepy Genealogy Site. But It Knows A Lot About You

... included on the site. Then she composed tweets, warning others  and providing detailed instructions on how to do the same. The top of her thread on Family Tree Now had thousands of retweets by the end of the day. 3) if you're a part of an online community, ESPECIALLY if you receive threats, take note. You need to opt out, and I'm going to tell you how. — Anna Brittain (@Almost_Anna) January 10, 2017. A similar warning about Family Tree Now also popped up on “Enough is Enough” and “Survive the Streets” this week, both popular Facebook groups about law enforcement officer safety. One  post , which begins, “OFFICER SAFETY ALERT” warned that the site could be used by individuals who want to target the families of police officers. That post had more than 10,000 shares by Wednesday morning. As Snopes noted , the site doesn’t specifically note whether an individual is a member of law enforcement or not. Several Washington Post reporters checked their own listings on the site in response to ...

Does Familytreenow Display Sensitive Personal Information

... This is legit. We've tested it, my address was in the search, and some of my family was connected to the profile. The amount of info and the accuracy of it is terrifying. Opt out instructions below. The web site in question,  Family Tree __link__ , allows users to look up a person by first and last name. The site then pulls up information about the named person obtained from public records, such as age, month and year of birth, immediate family members and "associates," and past and current addresses. The searches are provided free of charge. The site does not specifically categorize members of law enforcement, but of course any user who knew enough about a particular police officer (such as name and hometown) could potentially retrieve more information about that person. Persons whose information appears on the web site can use the "opt out" to block their information from being displayed to users, and our tests so far indicate that that option does work. However, as we have noted about similar search services ...

How Giving Out Your Phone Number Can Hurt You

... could do more harm than good. Think about how many times a day you give out your phone number. When you shop online, when you order a magazine subscription, at the doctor’s office, at the pharmacy, even when you Netflix. They’ve got your information and can do anything with it. “Because every time you sign up for something, there’s a little bitty clause in little fine writing that says your information is now ours and we’re going to share it to everybody we want to. And it’s sold, it’s given away and all these telemarketers get it and they call you,” says Detective Laura Soulier with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. And it can reveal a lot about you. Just a quick search on a website like Family Tree __link__ shares the names of relatives and past and current addresses. Anything that is open records, they can find. “And that’s just the free stuff that they can get their hands on! If they actually wanted to go online and pay for a background check on ...

Chances Are 'creepy' Family Tree Site Has Your Information

... knows a lot about you, even if you have never logged on to it. That's making a lot of people uncomfortable. Right on the homepage it is advertised that they have billions of historical records, records of birth, marriage, divorce, military, and living. We asked 19 year old Ruby Holm, who had never heard of the website before to log on to it. "It has my current address which is kinda scary," she says. "It's definitely creepy especially if someone you don't want to know is looking you up.". Holm found herself, many of her family members, and other information she doesn’t want to be public. "The thing that worries me the most is the current address, I don't think that should be on there. That should be something someone is asked about.". Julius Kunweleyil found himself on the website too, he says it's not that creepy. He says the information he found there is already out on the internet anyway. The company has a C+ rating through the Better Business Bureau. A handful of people have filed complaints saying the website publishes very private information without asking permission. While they ...

Warning Issued About Website Offering Family Information For Free

... of our information out in the world and we don’t know where it landed,” said Chief Hadley. “Something we need to have in our consciousness and be aware of.”. A warning was issued on social media for police officers, encouraging them to opt out of the information to protect themselves and their families. Chief Hadley says our information is often legally sold without us knowing, and as technology advances, we’ll be able to get more, more quickly and with ease. “Maybe as a moral responsibility that some of these websites need to ask themselves how much information do you really need to put out there, what is relevant,” said Chief Hadley. Newschannel 3 reached out to Family Tree Now for comment but have not yet heard back. The good news is that if you don’t want your information listed all you have to do ...

Online Security Public Records Opt Out Viral Tweet

... personal data was easily searchable on the site. Family Tree Now is far from alone — there are plenty of other ancestry and genealogy sites, as well as people-search sites like Spokeo and Peek You, that publish similar information. But while most of those charge users a fee to actually see any information, Family Tree Now is making it available for free to anyone with internet access. Obviously, this easier access can pose a serious safety threat. "Certain pieces of information could be used to gain access to some of your online accounts," says Satnam Narang, Senior Security Response Manager at Norton by Symantec. "For instance, an example security question like the name of the first street you grew up could easily be answered if an attacker looked up your information on Family Tree Now." And while getting hacked is bad, there are also much more frightening ...

Free Website Knows Where You And Your Relatives Live

... very accurate. The site is Family Tree __link__. You type in your name, and your address pops up, and so do the names of your family members and your previous addresses. The site could be a goldmine for stalkers and people trying to target law enforcement officers. The website said it's a free and easy way to search your family tree, but authorities are on high alert, fearing the site could lead criminals right to your doorstep. Chanel Murphy searched the site after NBC 2 asked her about it and she easily found her information. "It has my mom, my dad, my grandfather," she pointed out. Family Tree __link__ is a free genealogy resource. You can visit the site and plug in anyone's name, then get their information. The site says it consolidates tons of public information for easy access. "That's creepy. That's very weird," said Brian Hernandez. He's an online marketing ...

This Ancestry Website Might Reveal Information You Don't Want Public

... to the site, the data is "compiled from 1000's of U. S. public records sources, including property, business, historical and current records.". Even if the information is public record, a lot of people don't want their addresses on display for any internet harasser or real-life stalker to find. @familytreenow How do I take everything about me off your site? Had a week from hell from a stalker who got info from you. Thanks for that. — Mary L. (@Ms Vegas Mary) May 5, 2015. Twitter user  @Almost_Anna  posted a thread with step-by-step instructions on how to opt out and get your personal information off the site. 1) familytreenow dot com only needs your name and your city to pull up the following information. — Anna Brittain (@Almost_Anna) January 10, 2017. 2) *your spouse. — Anna Brittain (@Almost_Anna) January 10, 2017. 3) if you're a part of an online community, ESPECIALLY if you receive threats, take note. You need to opt out, and I'm going to tell you how. — Anna Brittain (@Almost_Anna) January 10, 2017. 4) ...

Here’s Why This Website That Lets Anyone Find Your Address, Phone Number And More Is Scaring People

... almost all of the information on her record card was correct. It even listed her step-father’s ex-wife as her possible associate. On her mother’s page, a young man who briefly stayed with the family for a few weeks during Brittain’s sister’s high school years was listed. The results were even scarier for Alyssa Keele of Washington. Keele tells PEOPLE that someone she has a restraining order against was linked to her records. “The restraining order I have is against one of the ‘known associates’ that pops up on my profile, who is someone that’s highly dangerous,” she says. “My current address popped up on there and I was legitimately scared.”. She says she saw Brittain’s instructions and was able to opt out, but noted, “They don’t make it easy to hide your information.”. Family Tree __link__ and the man listed on Linked In as the site’s founder did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. The Washington Post similarly was unable to immediately get in touch with a representative of the site. While opting ...