AncestryCodex Privacy Settings
AncestryCodex includes comprehensive privacy controls to protect the personal information of living family members.
Why Privacy Matters
When sharing your family tree with others, it's important to protect:
- Living individuals - Birth dates, addresses, and personal details
- Sensitive information - Medical history, causes of death, family conflicts
- Contact information - Phone numbers, email addresses, locations
When sharing your family tree publicly or with distant relatives, always enable privacy controls for living individuals.
Privacy Controls Overview
AncestryCodex uses a multi-layered approach to privacy:
| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| Site-wide Settings | Global privacy rules applied to all records (set by administrators) |
| Individual Privacy | Per-person privacy flags that override global settings |
| Role-based Access | Different user roles see different levels of detail |
How Privacy Works
Living Person Detection
AncestryCodex automatically determines if someone is likely living based on:
- Death date - If a death date is recorded, they're not living
- Birth date - If born within the threshold (default 100 years), assumed living
- Manual flag - You can explicitly mark someone as living or deceased
What Gets Hidden
When privacy is enabled for living individuals:
| Information | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Name | Shows as "Living Person" (configurable) |
| Birth Date | Hidden or shows year only |
| Birth Place | Hidden or generalized (country only) |
| Photos | Hidden from public view |
| Contact Info | Always hidden |
| Notes | Hidden from public view |
Privacy Settings Options
Enable Privacy Controls
Master switch that enables all privacy features. When disabled, all information is visible to all users.
Show Living Names
Controls how living individuals' names are displayed:
- Enabled - Shows actual name (e.g., "John Smith")
- Disabled - Shows "Living Person" or similar placeholder
Hide Living Details
When enabled, hides sensitive details like:
- Exact birth dates (may show year only)
- Addresses and locations
- Occupation and other personal notes
Living Threshold Years
How AncestryCodex determines if someone is likely living when no death date is recorded:
- Default: 100 years
- If birth year is within threshold, assumed living
- Adjustable based on your family's longevity
Date Display Range
Controls date precision for living individuals:
- Exact - Full date shown (15 January 1990)
- Year Only - Just the year (1990)
- Hidden - No date information shown
Individual Privacy Overrides
You can override global settings for specific individuals:
- Navigate to the individual's profile
- Click Edit
- Find the Privacy section
- Set the privacy level:
- Use Global Settings - Follows site-wide rules
- Public - All information visible
- Private - Information hidden from public
Use individual overrides for deceased individuals who should remain private (e.g., recent deaths) or living individuals who have consented to public display.
Role-Based Privacy
Different user roles have different visibility:
| Role | Access Level |
|---|---|
| Guest (not logged in) | Most restricted - privacy rules fully enforced |
| Viewer | Privacy rules enforced based on settings |
| Contributor | Can see more details for editing purposes |
| Editor / Manager | Full access to all information |
| Administrator | Complete access to all data and settings |
GEDCOM Export and Privacy
When exporting GEDCOM files:
- Privacy settings are respected in exports
- Living individuals can be excluded or anonymized
- Choose "Include Living" option carefully when sharing exports
Recommendations
For Public Sites
- Enable privacy controls
- Hide living names
- Hide living details
- Use "Year Only" date display
For Family-Only Sites
- Enable privacy controls
- Show living names
- Consider hiding details for guests
- Use invitation-only registration