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margin:0 0 10px 10px; float:right;"> <form action="/wiki/Special:SearchPages" method="POST" style="margin-bottom: 0px;"> <a href="/wiki/Special:SearchPages" title="Click here for our main help search page">Search</a> WikiTree's <a href="/wiki/Category:WikiTree_Help" title="Click here to browse WikiTree's help pages instead of searching them">help pages</a>:<br/> <input type="text" name="keywords" size="25" placeholder="Help page keywords" value="" style="width:200px;"/> <input type="submit" name="pageSearch" value="Go"/> </form> </div> <p>Categories: <span dir='ltr'><a href="/wiki/Category:About_WikiTree" title="Category:About WikiTree">About WikiTree</a></span> | <span dir='ltr'><a href="/wiki/Category:WikiTree_Help" title="Category:WikiTree Help">WikiTree Help</a></span> | <span dir='ltr'><a href="/wiki/Category:Account_Help" title="Category:Account Help">Account Help</a></span> | <span dir='ltr'><a href="/wiki/Category:Privacy_Help" title="Category:Privacy Help">Privacy Help</a></span></p> <div>Language: <strong class="selflink">en</strong> | <a href="/wiki/Help:De:Datenschutz" title="Help:De:Datenschutz">de</a> | <a href="/wiki/Help:Fr:Confidentialit%C3%A9" title="Help:Fr:Confidentialit茅">fr</a> | <a href="/wiki/Help:Nl:Privacy" title="Help:Nl:Privacy">nl</a></div> <p>Since WikiTree is for <a href="/wiki/Help:Collaborative_Family_Tree" title="Help:Collaborative Family Tree">genealogy collaboration</a>, including collaboration on profiles of living and recently-deceased family members, privacy is very important here. </p><p><span id="summary" class="large">Every <a href="/wiki/Help:Profiles" title="Help:Profiles">profile</a> on WikiTree has an independently-managed Privacy Level and <a href="/wiki/Help:Trusted_List" title="Help:Trusted List">Trusted List</a>. If you're on the profile's Trusted List you can access everything. If you're not on the Trusted List, what you can see and do depends on the Privacy Level.</span> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Help:Profile_Manager" title="Help:Profile Manager">Profile Manager</a> can change the Privacy Level by clicking the Privacy tab on a profile or <a href="/wiki/Special:PrivacyChanges" title="Special:PrivacyChanges">change the Privacy Level on multiple profiles</a> at the same time. </p><p>Here are details on the seven Privacy Levels. Please also read our <a href="/wiki/Help:Privacy_Policy" title="Help:Privacy Policy">Privacy Policy</a>. </p> <table id="toc" class="toc" summary="Contents"><tr><td><div id="toctitle"><h2>Contents</h2></div> <ul> <li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#Unlisted"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Unlisted</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#Private"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Private</span></a> <ul> <li class="toclevel-2"><a href="#Private_information"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Private information</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2"><a href="#Public_information"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span> <span class="toctext">Public information</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-2"><a href="#Partially_private_information"><span class="tocnumber">2.3</span> <span class="toctext">Partially private information</span></a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#Private_with_Public_Biography"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Private with Public Biography</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#Private_with_Public_Family_Tree"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Private with Public Family Tree</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#Private_with_Public_Biography_and_Family_Tree"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">Private with Public Biography and Family Tree</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#Public"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">Public</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#Open"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Open</span></a></li> </ul> </td></tr></table><script type="text/javascript">if(window.showTocToggle){var tocShowText="show";var tocHideText="hide";showTocToggle();}</script> <a name="Unlisted"></a><h2> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/unlisted.png.pagespeed.ce.nuLRe4wgw3.png" alt="unlisted.png" class="scale-with-grid"/> Unlisted </span></h2> <p>Unlisted profiles are entirely hidden from everyone except those on the <a href="/wiki/Help:Trusted_List" title="Help:Trusted List">Trusted List</a>. Unlisted names do not appear in search results or surname index pages. </p><p>Unlisted is required for all profiles of <b><a href="/wiki/Help:Living_People" title="Help:Living People">living people</a> who are not <a href="/wiki/Help:Membership" title="Help:Membership">members</a></b>. There are exceptions for certain <a href="/wiki/Help:Living_Notables" title="Help:Living Notables">public figures</a>. </p><p>Unlisted is not an option for non-living people or profiles of actively contributing members. If you, as an active member, do not want your name to appear anywhere on WikiTree, <a href="/wiki/Help:Unlisted_Active_Members" title="Help:Unlisted Active Members">click here</a>. </p> <a name="Private"></a><h2> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/private.png.pagespeed.ce.6K9204Bs21.png" alt="private.png" class="scale-with-grid"/> Private </span></h2> <p>The public can see certain limited information on a Private profile. Like being listed in a phone book, this enables others to find it. </p><p>When editing a profile you can tell at a glance whether a particular piece of information is private with the following colored icons. </p> <a name="Private_information"></a><h3> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/dot20.gif.pagespeed.ce.enltuP6Q7H.gif" alt="dot20.gif" class="scale-with-grid"/> Private information </span></h3> <p><i>Red icons</i> mean the information can only be viewed by the <a href="/wiki/Help:Trusted_List" title="Help:Trusted List">Trusted List</a>. </p><p>This includes <b>Proper First Name</b>, <b>Nicknames</b>, and family relationships such as <b>Spouses</b>, <b>Siblings</b>, and <b>Children</b>, as well as the <b>Personal Memories</b> section. </p><p>The biography/sources section (text of the page) and family relationships are private by default but can be changed to be public. </p> <a name="Public_information"></a><h3> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/dot50.gif.pagespeed.ce.wTCT3Z9JUA.gif" alt="dot50.gif" class="scale-with-grid"/> Public information </span></h3> <p><i>Green icons</i> denote public information. </p><p>This includes the <b>Preferred First Name</b> and <b>Last Names</b>, the name <b>Prefix</b> and <b>Suffix</b>, and <b>Public Comments</b>. </p> <a name="Partially_private_information"></a><h3> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/dot40.gif.pagespeed.ce.5ilKdTmmMR.gif" alt="dot40.gif" class="scale-with-grid"/> Partially private information </span></h3> <p><i>Yellow icons</i> mean that the most sensitive aspect of something is protected but a limited version is made available. </p><p>Specifically: </p><p><b>Middle Name</b>: The full middle name is private, but the middle initial is public. </p><p><b>Birth Date</b> and <b>Death Date</b>: The exact month, day, and year are private, but the decade is public, e.g. "1970s". We do this so that people can figure out whether someone is related to them. </p><p><b>Photos</b>: The tiny thumbnail of a photo is always unrestricted but the full version and information about images is private. Note, however, that if someone in a photo is public the whole image will be public. See <a href="/wiki/Help:Photo_Privacy" title="Help:Photo Privacy">Photo Privacy</a>. </p><p><b>Activity</b>: The items recorded in <a href="/wiki/Help:Activity_Feeds" title="Help:Activity Feeds">activity feeds</a> are viewable by anyone but they can only see the line item itself, not the details. (For example, anyone can see "Thomas Jefferson edited the biography of Ben Franklin", but only those on the Trusted List can click to see the details of what was edited.) </p> <a name="Private_with_Public_Biography"></a><h2> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/public-bio.png.pagespeed.ce.2JNBPbNJce.png" alt="public-bio.png" class="scale-with-grid"/> Private with Public Biography </span></h2> <p>Exactly like Private profiles, with all the protections outlined above, except that the <b>Biography/Sources</b> section of the profile (the text of the page) is visible to everyone. It can still only be edited by the Trusted List. <span id="Private_with_Public_Tree"></span> </p> <a name="Private_with_Public_Family_Tree"></a><h2> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/privacy35.png.pagespeed.ce.rHmqk_7y5Z.png" alt="privacy35.png" class="scale-with-grid"/> Private with Public Family Tree </span></h2> <p>Exactly like Private profiles except that <b>relatives</b> are visible <i>if</i> the relative also has a public family tree. For example, if a child has a public family tree but their mother does not it will say "[private mother]" on the child's profile and family tree pages. </p><p>Having a public family tree also means that <a href="/wiki/Help:DNA_Test_Connections" title="Help:DNA Test Connections">DNA Test Connections</a> and <a href="/wiki/Help:Sex_and_Gender" title="Help:Sex and Gender">Sex at Birth</a> are public. Spouses may also be public, but are treated <a href="/wiki/Help:Marriage_Privacy" title="Help:Marriage Privacy">a little differently</a>. </p> <a name="Private_with_Public_Biography_and_Family_Tree"></a><h2> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/public-tree.png.pagespeed.ce.80OzoudFTP.png" alt="public-tree.png" class="scale-with-grid"/> Private with Public Biography and Family Tree </span></h2> <p>Like the above, but with the text of the profile and the tree public. </p> <a name="Public"></a><h2> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/public.png.pagespeed.ce.-KivMuWmTc.png" alt="public.png" class="scale-with-grid"/> Public </span></h2> <p>Anyone can view all the information on a Public profile. However, you still need to be in the <a href="/wiki/Help:Trusted_List" title="Help:Trusted List">Trusted List</a> to add or change information. </p><p>Public and Open are not options for profiles of living people. </p> <a name="Open"></a><h2> <span class="mw-headline"> <img src="https://www.wikitree.com/images/icons/open.png.pagespeed.ce.40ChhYgHYM.png" alt="open.png" class="scale-with-grid"/> Open </span></h2> <p>Anyone can view the information on an Open profile, and any WikiTree member in good standing with a confirmed email address who has signed the <a href="/wiki/Special:Honor_Code" title="Special:Honor Code">Honor Code</a> can edit it. All edits are tracked, credited to the appropriate member, and can be reversed. </p> <ul><li> Profiles of non-living people without any sensitive information or real privacy concerns should be Open. </li><li> Profiles of <b>people born over 150 years ago or who died over 100 years ago</b> must be Open. </li></ul> <p><a href="/wiki/Help:Leaders" title="Help:Leaders">WikiTree Project Leaders</a> can merge 200-year-old Open profiles. The mission of the WikiTree community is to connect modern families with ancestors on a <a href="/wiki/Help:Collaborative_Family_Tree" title="Help:Collaborative Family Tree">single family tree</a>. Merging duplicates is an important part of this. </p><p><br/> </p> <hr/> <p><br/> To change the Privacy Level on multiple profiles use the <a href="/wiki/Special:PrivacyChanges" title="Special:PrivacyChanges">Bulk Privacy Changes</a> tool. </p><p>It's important to understand that WikiTree's <b>privacy controls are for privacy, not control</b>. All descendants have to <a href="/wiki/Help:Collaboration" title="Help:Collaboration">share the same ancestor profiles</a>. It's in our <a href="/wiki/Special:Honor_Code" title="Special:Honor Code">Honor Code</a> to keep information as free and open as possible. See the page on <a href="/wiki/Help:Ownership_and_Control" title="Help:Ownership and Control">ownership and control</a>. </p><p>For the legal details of our <a href="https://www.WikiTree.com/about/privacy.html" class="external text" title="https://www.WikiTree.com/about/privacy.html" rel="nofollow">privacy policy, click here</a>. </p> <br/><br/> <p class="small" align="center"> This page was last modified 15:16, 15 September 2023. This page has been accessed 1,253,615 times.</p> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <div class="sixteen columns"> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <div class="container"> <div class="sixteen columns"> <p><a href="/" title="Go to the WikiTree Home Page">WIKITREE HOME</a>   |   <a href="/wiki/Help:About_WikiTree" title="About WikiTree, the Community, and our Mission">ABOUT</a>   |   <a href="/g2g/" title="Genealogist-to-Genealogist Community Forum">G2G FORUM</a>   |   <a href="/wiki/Help:How_to_Use_WikiTree" title="Help: How to use WikiTree">HELP</a>   |   <a href="/wiki/Special:SearchPerson" title="Search for a Person">SEARCH</a></p> <p>IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. 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