Ancestry.com: What you can do with a free trial and how to cancel once it's over
Genetic testing illuminates your past and present. By rubbing a cotton swab on the inside of your cheek and mailing it off to a company, you can learn which countries your ancestors came from. You can even pinpoint risk factors for different genetic conditions, which can help you make healthier decisions in the future.
Since genetic tests first became available to the public in 1996, they’ve boomed in popularity. You may have seen ads for Ancestry.com promising to connect you with previous generations. Beneath the lofty promises, though, is the cold, hard fact that Ancestry collects a ton of private information. It doesn’t sell your data, according to its privacy statement.
However, in 2020, a hedge fund called Blackstone Group bought Ancestry.com for $4.7 billion. Tap or click here for the full story — as well as how you can remove your data. In this guide, you’ll learn how to protect your privacy when using genetic testing sites.
Know your risks
Since genealogy websites collect so much data, their user database can be quite valuable in the corporate world. If you’ve listened to the Kim Komando Today podcast, you know that data brokerage is a $200 billion industry. Tap or click here to listen to a podcast all about the ways companies buy your data.
It knows a lot about you, like:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Billing information
- Sign-in information for any third-party sign-in services you opted to use, like Google or Facebook
- DNA Data
- Information about your computer and mobile device, like your browser and IP address
Hackers can do a lot with this information. In 2017, they invaded Ancestry.com in a huge data breach, exposing the usernames, email addresses and passwords of 300,000 registered users. Tap or click here to find out how it happened and who was affected.
Of course, years have passed since then, and now new leaders are in charge. Still, though, it’s good to know about these risks before you dive in. But if you want to get a free trial, there’s a lot of great stuff the site has to offer.
How to make the most out of a free trial
Once you sign up for a 14-day trial, you have two weeks to take advantage of its enormous database. Although you don’t need a membership to create a family tree, you need to sign up to search historical records.
Memberships and DNA tests help you find potential relatives, or “DNA matches.” After forking over a few bucks, you can start searching historical records. One great perk is that you get access to family trees that other Ancestry.com members have put together.
If you used this ancestry site, remove your data now
Genealogy websites have become increasingly popular in recent years. These platforms are able to scour the web in search of documents and archival data, which can help users build historically accurate family trees.
There’s also another side to genealogy websites that has attracted attention from privacy advocates: DNA testing. Websites like Ancestry.com can use DNA testing to find matches, but the fact that these platforms store this information on their end means that hackers could try and steal it. Tap or click here to see how Ancestry.com suffered a huge data breach.
Meet your WWII ancestors for free this Memorial Day weekend
Memorial Day is our national day of remembrance for America’s fallen service members. The weekend isn’t all about grilling and shopping. It’s also a day to reflect on our freedom and those who have sacrificed their lives for it.