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Is there a way to stop other people from editing and/or adding to my information?

Elizabeth Belgrodsky Golding
Elizabeth Belgrodsky Golding ✭
August 2, 2021 edited April 4 in Family Tree

Some person I don't know added my mother and uncle to my information on August 19th and marked both of them deceased. My uncle at the time was LIVING. He passed away on the 28th or 29th and when I logged on to change the date I found duplicate entries including the entry that predated his death by TEN DAYS. It was very upsetting. I sent a letter to the person who is not related to me and made all these changes deleting relationships and people. It is a tradition in my family to name the babies after the deceased and he removed children from their parents. I have been working on this information for 40 years and know what I am talking about. Can you lock your tree so that people need to send you a message before messing with your research??

Tagged:
  • Edit Vital Information
  • Prevent changes
  • Merging Records
  • Delete relationship.
2

Answers

  • billhalford1
    billhalford1 ✭
    September 15, 2022 edited April 4

    How do I lock my family tree to keep someone else from adding names to it? I just received a name that is not a member of my family along with a string of his relatives that were joined with him. How can someone add to my family tree without my permission? How can I prevent this from happening? How do I remove these names?

    1
  • Paul W
    Paul W ✭✭✭✭✭
    September 15, 2022 edited September 15, 2022

    @billhalford1

    You appear not to have understood the open-edit format of Family Tree before you began participating. No, there is nothing you can do to stop anybody - from close relative to someone of no known relationship whatsoever - from adding names to the branch of the tree to which your ancestors and relatives are added. You do not have your own family tree here (even if it's been just you who has previously added all the details), so nobody needs any permission to amend your work.

    If other users make errors, you have to correct these yourself, although you should try to contact them in order to query their additions / changes. Hopefully, they will be responsive and you can resolve any differences of opinion.

    In view of the nature Family Tree, you should always keep your data backed-up in another program that cannot be edited by anybody else. Also, you can download your family tree to the Genealogies section of the FamilySearch website, where it cannot be edited, either.

    1
  • Chas Howell
    Chas Howell ✭✭✭✭✭
    September 15, 2022 edited September 15, 2022

    Generally when a large group of non-relatives are added it means that someone has made an incorrect relationship either a wrong couple or a wrong child to parent. Find the incorrect relationship and remove it by clicking the little pencil icon in the relationship box then remove.

    General comment, we cannot "Lock" a tree. We do not have individual trees (other that your private Living area). There is only the one shared tree in FS Family Tree.

    1
  • doodeeann
    doodeeann ✭
    April 4

    I started a family tree some long time ago, and forgot about it. Now I get a notification that some unrelated person modified my tree, with unknown names. I did not know that could be done, but I see that FamilySearch must be the only company that allows such a thing. It is not right! and I disagree with this policy. How are you to know the accuracy of that added information without finding the sources and verifying them yourself, or communicating with that person?

    Therefore, I will combat this by deleting everything with my name and relatives on here and never use FamilySearch again. No business for you, FamilySearch! 😯

    0
  • Paul W
    Paul W ✭✭✭✭✭
    April 4 edited April 4

    @doodeeann

    It is unfortunate that you did not check that Family Tree is an open-edit, community project before you went ahead. Nobody has their own tree and, if others have made inputs to the profiles you created for your relatives, you won't be able to delete "everything with my name and relatives on here". So regardless of whether you choose to visit here again, your relatives' profiles will remain.

    I would stress I have no connection to FamilySearch but did my "homework" before getting involved with the Family Tree project, so there were no surprises for me when others started to make amendments to my work.

    1
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