Why are we not simply adding a toggle for citizenship on the profile?

+5 votes
160 views
Instead of deleting data we have permission to use (for Ancestry, that requires knowing the login which has to be given by the user), it would make a whole lot of sense to simply add a toggle for “citizenship.”  That’s provided on census records and other vital records anyway. Simplify things significantly without losing data.

A European law shouldn’t affect the huge chunk of people it doesn’t apply to.

Making it required info for anyone you add DNA ties (one would trigger the other) would fix this whole kerfuffle.
in Policy and Style by April Hamilton G2G1 (1.2k points)
So by data that you're deleting, you mean data from living people?

I only ever put one living person on Wikitree, and that is my mother, who is unfortunately likely to live another decade.  I can't imagine putting information about other living people on Wikitree in the first place.  As people die, I add them.  I suppose that's why I'm perfectly fine with the whole "kerfuffle."
If I were to follow your line of thinking I would have to wait until both my husband and his Mum died before I could add anything about his line, otherwise, who would I connect them to?

And I'm sorry that you think your own mother living another decade is unfortunate!
Connections can come from dead people in the line.  And yes, it is unfortunate.  It's also unfortunate that today, since it's Mother's Day in the USA, I have to go visit her.

2 Answers

+2 votes
by Ros Haywood G2G Astronaut (1.9m points)
I did. That info is more than likely known by any individuals that went so far as to ask permission to post DNA from someone. Mine are all family members, I know them personally. It would be easy to answer.

"A European law shouldn’t affect the huge chunk of people it doesn’t apply to."

That was the part of your post I tried to answer.  Like it says in the GDPR FAQ:

Any organization that handles data about people living in the EU, UK, and "European Economic Area" has to comply, regardless of where the organization is located. Penalties for non-compliance are severe. Genealogy sites like WikiTree are especially vulnerable because information regarding race, ethnicity, and genetics are considered "special categories" that require extra protection.

Since we cannot definitively determine who in our shared family tree is living in Europe, we need to assume that every living person could be.

I don’t know a single living soul in my family tree that doesn’t live in the US. Y’all are wasting a lot of time, energy and resources of a whole bunch of people this law isn’t applicable to, when identifying citizenship (which doesn’t have to be visible) for the DNA one managed would solve the problem.
April it is a world wide tree!
+4 votes
April, I'm not sure I understand your question.

I believe that WikiTree is wise in its decision to address privacy concerns for its membership as we approach technological advances in genomic theory. Living people should be able to decide if they want their data made public.

Wherever they live.

Perhaps I've misunderstood what you are saying. But please don't broadcast my citizenship status worldwide. Thanks.
by Dorothy Coakley G2G6 Pilot (184k points)
edited by Dorothy Coakley
They did when I requested and was given permission to add them to my tree. DNA tested family helps me triangulate and improve upon lines of research. I’m not adding random people I have no connection to, these are American family members.

You can’t add someone on Ancestry without their logon names. Which they must give you themselves.

Furthermore, the citizenship confirmation doesn’t need to be publicly visible.
Personally, I'm not terribly afraid of my life story or other INFO being recorded, April- I'm an old lady, spent my career in the public sector and have been active as a  Stanford and UCSF Research subject. I've had high level governmental security clearance. What I am worried about is the misappropriation of "citizenship" information. Public invisibility does not insure privacy in this era. Do we really need to collect this info to meet the objective of being "non-European" and therefore exempt from EU law?

Its moot. WikiTree has a plan that is in conformation with all laws You and I can just go on being cheerful cousins, okay? Namaste.

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