I'm never comfortable entering personal information on the Internet. I won't use many family tree websites.
I created WikiTree because I wanted a site with its unique privacy system.
Privacy Basics
Profiles of living people and all their non-living nuclear relatives are protected in a way that's similar to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Only the people you allow on the Trusted List can view their profiles.
It's up to you whether profiles of places and things are protected.
Extra Privacy Tips
WikiTree's basic privacy system surpasses that of many family tree sites and most wikis and social networking sites. But some people want more privacy. Here are some tips.
- Don't use last names for living people. You might want to use an initial or "X" as the Last Name at Birth when you create your account or create a new profile. Your mother's maiden name, especially, could be sensitive. (Here's how to change an existing Last Name at Birth).
- Leave out middle names and birthdates. If you check the "intentionally left blank" others in the Trusted List will know not to add them.
- Be careful with your biography. Even though only the people you specify in the Trusted List can see it (unless you choose to make it public) you may still want to leave out certain details such as the street where you grew up or your first pet's name. These are sometimes used as security questions on other websites.
- Never create profiles for living children. We do not allow children to enter any information here. They may not be able to make mature decisions about Trusted Lists and privacy. If you enter any information about them, keep it limited and be especially careful.
Total Privacy
You can use WikiTree even if you don't want to enter any personal information.
Simply create a profile for an ancestor without entering their descendents. For example, you could create a page for a grandparent and grow their family tree upwards, but not downwards through your parent or you.
WikiTree enables you to create a profile for any person, place, or thing.
