Around 15 million Americans sent their DNA in to learn about their ancestry. It seemed like harmless fun, until it wasn’t.
Opt-Out Tuesday: How to remove your info from FamilyTreeNow
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People search sites collect your information from publicly available sources and offer it to anyone interested, including thieves and scammers. There are countless sites like this. So, how do you protect your data? You need to remove it.
In this edition of my Opt-Out Tuesday series, let’s remove your data from FamilyTreeNow.
Avoid people search sites at all costs, especially if it costs you
Don’t ever pay for any people search service. Most of these sites are scammy in nature. You may think you’re paying for one report and find that you’ve been roped into recurring charges.
When you go to opt out, be careful which links you click. The buttons on these sites are often ads that lead you to another site that requests payment.
Do you have older relatives who may not know about these sites? While you’re opting out yourself, why not do the same for them? Just type in their information as you would your own, and follow our steps to completion.
PSA: There’s an easier way
Below I’ll give you the steps to remove yourself from FamlyTreeNow, but that’s just one of hundreds of such sites. If you want to knock them all out in one go, check out Incogni.
Incogni does all that hard work for you. It took me three minutes to go through the sign-up process, then they get to work removing you from 180+ sites. You don’t have to lift a finger after that initial setup. So great.
I have a special deal just for you. Right now, get 60% off an annual subscription using code KIM60.
Not very family-friendly
Tracing your genealogy was all the rage a few years ago, and business is still booming for sites like Ancestry and 23andMe. However, the rise of data breaches and loose privacy practices have hopefully made people more careful about where they share their information.
DNA? Do Not Ask: After last year’s data breach leaked info from 7 million customers, 23andMe is bankrupt but still legally obligated to pay out. If you were a customer affected by the breach, you’ve got until July 14 to file a claim. Hope your genetic trauma came with receipts.
6 years ago
23andMe was sold by Anne Wojcicki for $6 billion. Today, she’s trying to buy it back for $42 million. That’s one way to make money. PSA: If you have a 23andMe account, remove it. You just don’t know who’s going to buy your DNA and use it. Here’s how.
Your DNA could soon be up for sale
You spit in a tube, and now 23andMe is thinking of selling your data after a massive hack tanked their value. So much for learning your ancestry. Meanwhile, Gen Z is going #desperate on LinkedIn, and Mazda’s charging $10 just to use remote start.
The 23andMe disaster
If you sent off your DNA a few years ago, you might regret it now. I’ve got a warning you need to hear.
The nightmare of 23andMe
Want to learn more about your genetics? Here are the privacy risks involved.
23andMe DNA hack poses a big danger
Millions of people happily sent their DNA off to 23andMe. I’ll tell you why I’m glad I didn’t, in just 60 seconds.