Third party record hints: United States Obituary Records 2014-2023
I live in CANADA and obituaries from newspapers, funeral homes are offered in full detail from this third-party linking on familysearch. The info includes all living family. On familysearch if you add a living individual, only you can see that information. I don't see the logic in this if a third-party contributor with permission from familysearch can post the obit as a record hint. For example, with living wife or any other family member of the deceased, they then become known anyway. The obits are not even U.S. deceased persons. Why should Canadian obits be allowed under this category. I have been a contributor of familysearch for many years and I am upset with this being permitted. (Family Search Terms of Use: Linking) These obits range from 10 to less than a year old. Writing an obit is the last chance a family gets to tell the story of their loved one's life. They want to inform others of their death, make it known of their relationships to family in order for others to respond to their loss. Perhaps funeral homes should advise families where these obits may turn up beyond the local newspaper. Anyone else wish to comment on United States Obituary Records 2014-2023?
Answers
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There was a recent thread here in which we discussed the privacy and also the Data Protection implications of this sort of thing (not sure whether you have relevant Data Protection legislation in Canada, as we do in the UK and EU).
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There are many record collections on FamilySearch and other genealogy websites with information on the living. The US 1940 and 1950 censuses are available for all to see. The various collections grouped under "Public Record" titles have information on many living people. High school and college yearbooks also include many living people, with details about where they lived and their approximate age at that time.
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Yes, 1950 census and yearbooks are an example of those people possibly still living, where they lived then, what their age was then. These full obits on the United States Obituaries 2014-2023 record hints on family search are from the past 10 years up to 12 months ago. When they appear as a record hint there is no way to alter it to leave out any private info. If I create an ID for a living person on family search, only I can see it. Should this persons spouse pass and an ID is added then eventually one of these obits appear then the name of the spouse is revealed. So is a living person to be private or not private according to family search by allowing this 3rd party to post full, relatively current obits.
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As you will see if you use the link provided by @MandyShaw1 , I recently raised a similar issue and share your concerns / confusion about the basis for FamilySearch's policies in protecting privacy for the living.
I believe you quote a good example in referring to obituaries (or indeed any other records) that apply to events that have taken place even within the past few years. I was just hoping someone from FamilySearch would explain their position on suggesting, say, that we should not create a Family Tree profile for an individual born 109 years ago unless we have evidence of their death, yet - on the same website - can freely read detailed information on their great-grandchildren!
The policy concerning privacy certainly needs to be clarified, so users can understand what appear to be anomalies in between the rules and actions operated by the site administrators.
Even here in Community, members' email addresses, full names (if not part of their username) and other personal details are removed by moderators, yet I am free to display that same detail, for public viewing, against my FamilySearch profile on the main website.
I appreciate that the organisation has to be sensitive not only to the need for privacy of the living, but also to the laws covering this issue in the countries across the globe where its website is open for use.
Perhaps the inconsistency that applies to the creation of Family Tree profiles is more connected with the Ordinance issue, whereby allowing the names of younger individuals to be publicly displayed might lead to names of the living being taken to the Temple.
Our speculation on such issues, and concerns over why, conversely, FamilySearch allows detailed information on even young children to appear on its website, could be largely put to rest if only a moderator / employee reading these posts could escalate to a higher level within the organisation, in order for a specific article to be made available covering the whole (policy) issue. Failing that, could a FamilySearch employee - with knowledge of the criteria that is applied relating to living individuals' privacy - please join the discussion, so we can be aware exactly where we and the organisation stand(s)?
BTW - I am raising a specific issue on the subject under the Family Tree category.
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Further to Dec 5 re 3rd party record hints. United States Obituary Records 2014-2023
They are NOT United States obituaries. They have been taken from Canadian Newspapers.
CBC News -cbc.CA - Canadian Funeral Directors Warn of Unauthorized Obits.. Although this does not refer to family search website and the 3rd party info they have allowed to appear, the situation of privacy of the living should still be an issue. I will not add these records because of my thoughts on privacy issues but someone else will including obits that describe a bereavement in my own family and my relationship to the deceased. I have been a contributor to family search for several years. This is a disturbing issue for me.
Yes, as mentioned in another comment it would benefit perhaps if someone higher up in family search could be made aware of this and offer some input.
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FamilySearch is a worldwide organization, not restricted to US records or those who have lived in the US.
We rarely (as in never) see comments from a FamilySearch higher-up. This community is mostly user-to-user support. Since you feel strongly on the point, you may wish to telephone FamilySearch Support for your location.
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I'm sure you don't. It was someone else's thought in a post on this subject who is concerned of the privacy issue. I do intend on attempting to get answers as well as promote awareness of this through other associations.
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@Paul W has been in touch with FS Support on this matter and they were going to chase it up, see
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With respect, Paul's question is not the same.
One is How do we appropriately handle the available information? while the other doesn't want the information to be available.
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Not exactly but with the same privacy focus; two Support contacts from different users will hopefully help get the message across to FS' information managers that this matter needs to be taken seriously and properly documented.
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I agree. Hopefully there are answers. Some of the Canadian obits which are made available by the 3rd party contributor on familysearch - (United States Obituary Collection 2014-2023), are as current as 12 months ago. Perhaps the U. S. are more current with making more info available having a 1950 census available in which there are still living persons from that time. Canada has recently only made their 1931 census available. Regardless, its the issue of privacy of living persons of recent obits.
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