Does MyHeritage own WikiTree? Does WikiTree sell tree information?

Question

Hi WikiTreers,

This question was asked by email and I thought it would be worth answering here as well.

My genealogy class is having a discussion about various websites, including WikiTree. One person said that MyHeritage bought WikiTree. Is that true? Another said that WikiTree sells tree information. Is that true?

Answer 1

No, but it's understandable why there is confusion. 

MyHeritage bought Geni, another single family tree, some years ago.

WikiTree does not and will never sell access to the tree. See this public pledge: The_Free_Family_Tree

We do give MyHeritage access to the tree, as we give it to everyone.

To pay our costs and remain free for everyone forever, we have ads from MyHeritage, Ancestry, DNA testing companies, and others. These ads appear on profiles when you're not a member. If you're a signer of the Honor Code and are logged-in, you don't see them. Since members don't see ads, this causes confusion and some assume we have another source of income. We do not.

Comments

hehe, and then we see people importing their trees here via GEDCOM, from MyHeritage, and their source is ''WikiTree''.  I kid you not.  Before coming here I had an account with MyHeritage, and there was a link given to WikiTree, free from them, as was only right.