This policy is effective as of February 19, 2009 and has been updated as of September 29, 2009.
FamilyLink.com, Inc. has created online services, including the services found at FamilyLink.com, to enable family members to make connections and share information through social networking. The purpose of these applications is to provide family-based functionality within the context of more open social networking. We understand that you may not wish to share all of your personal information, especially information related to family, with everyone who is connected to you on FamilyLink or even within the services provided by FamilyLink.com. Our privacy settings require you to explicitly add your personal information or provide us with explicit permission to access your personal profile information found on Facebook or other third-party services.
FamilyLink.com, Inc. agrees with the two core principles established by Facebook:
This Privacy Policy provides information on how we collect and use personal information within FamilyLink.com services and applications, including FamilyLink.com and the My Family and We’re Related applications on Facebook. This policy allows you to understand the purpose of collecting and sharing information, so you can make informed decisions on which personal information you want to share. For the purpose of this privacy policy, the use of "FamilyLink.com," "FamilyLink," "we," or "our" includes any social networking service, website, platform, or application developed or managed by FamilyLink.com, Inc.
By using or accessing our services, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
When you visit FamilyLink you are prompted to share information with us in two ways: by entering personal information to share with others using forms or by selecting options to share specific information with individuals you have identified as family members. Additionally, general behavioral information, such as login frequency and the number of postings, is also collected in order to improve the product over time. FamilyLink does not collect any additional personally identifiable information about you, including the specific information you post on FamilyLink properties, beyond the information you knowingly share.
FamilyLink allows you to enter personal information to create a shared profile. This information includes your name, your email address, your telephone number, your address, your gender, and other information that may be useful to share with other family members. Your profile information will be visible to other individuals you identify as family through our applications.
We collect the browser type and IP address of all FamilyLink.com visitors when they are using FamilyLink. We also use cookies to store certain information. A cookie is a small string of text stored on a user's computer by a web browser. To confirm that FamilyLink users are logged in to our site, we use session ID cookies that expire once the users close the browser. When you opt to allow us to access your information on another service, such as Facebook, we store your login ID (but not your password) in a persistent cookie to enable ongoing account access in the future without re-authentication to multiple services. If you do not want this feature, you can remove or block the cookie by using the settings in your browser.
When you use FamilyLink services, you may identify family members, create your personal profile, post messages, create or share a family tree, share family photos, view status updates, and receive notifications about other possible relationships based on the relationships you define. All of this activity results in user- generated content that is a key element of the personalized service we provide. This information only becomes a part of FamilyLink upon your action or approval as described above. This information becomes shared with other family members on FamilyLink and provides context for future family interactions.
You add information to FamilyLink at your own risk. Although we allow you to set privacy options that limit access to your pages, please be aware that no security measures are comprehensive and without fault. We do not have control over the actions of other users with whom you may share your information. As a result, we cannot ensure that content you post on FamilyLink will not be viewed by unauthorized persons. We are not responsible for evasion of any privacy settings or security measures implemented on FamilyLink or other sites or services that provide information to FamilyLink.
You may remove your content at any time; however, you understand and acknowledge that, once your information has been shared, your user content may still be accessible through cached or archived copies or may have been copied or stored by other members with whom you have relationships through FamilyLink. If you see any improper collection or misuse of information found on FamilyLink, please report it using the links available on the site, as it is a violation of the FamilyLink Terms of Service.
If you choose to invite others to join you on FamilyLink through our invitation feature, you will be asked to provide some information, such as your relative’s email address. We will use this contact information about your relative to send an invitation in your name. Once the invitation has been sent, a record of your invitation may be stored in our database and updated when the invitation is accepted. The contact information of those whom you invite to the service will not be used in any other manner beyond the purpose of the invitation.
To personalize your experience on FamilyLink, we may collect incidental information through your interactions on the service, such as advertising, according to your behavior and preferences. This incidental information may be collected through search interfaces, blogs, or other features. This information is used to personalize your experience on FamilyLink only and will not be shared with any third parties.
FamilyLink does not knowingly collect, solicit personal information, or allow anyone under the age of 13 to register on FamilyLink. No one under age 13 may provide any personal information to or on FamilyLink. We will delete any information we discover from anyone under the age of 13. If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at support@familylink.com. Further, individuals between the ages of 13 and 18 should consult with their parents and receive permission before sending personal information across the Internet.
Once you register for an account on FamilyLink, you will have the opportunity to create your own profile and privacy settings. Information, such as your name, email, and photo, that are included in your profile are shown to people in the networks you have specified. We may use your name and email address to send you notifications regarding new services offered by FamilyLink that we think you may find useful.
Profile information is used by FamilyLink primarily to be presented back to and edited by you when you access the service and to be presented to others permitted to view that information by your privacy settings. In some cases where your privacy settings permit it (such as publishing your profile to a shared area), other FamilyLink users may be allowed to add information to your profile.
Profile information you submit to FamilyLink will be available to FamilyLink users who have been added as your relatives. Your name and profile picture thumbnail will be available in search results across the FamilyLink network through the possible relatives feature. Those limited pieces of information may also be incorporated into publicly viewable directories and services with your permission. This is primarily so your relatives (near and distant) can find you through relationships and learn how you may be related. People who see your name in searches, however, will not be able to access your profile information unless they have a relationship to you and receive permission from you to establish a relationship. Access to your profile is then allowed based on your privacy settings.
FamilyLink may send you service-related announcements from time to time through the general operation of the service. For instance, if a relative shares a photo or family tree, or suggests a new relative connection, you may receive an email informing you of this information.
You may choose not to receive emails by adjusting your settings on the Notifications page; however, FamilyLink reserves the right to send you notices about your account even if you opt out of all voluntary email notifications. FamilyLink may use information in your profile without identifying you as an individual to third parties to personalize your experience and aggregate audience profile data, such as the number of relationships identified, age, and other pieces of data. This personalization is designed as a benefit to you. When aggregated data is published, you can learn more about the FamilyLink service. Additionally, the advertisements you see as part of FamilyLink are more likely to be interesting to you. For example, if you indicate you are interested in family history in your profile, you may receive advertisements from genealogy-related services. We do not inform the advertiser who you are or provide any personal data to the advertiser beyond aggregated data utilized for targeting purposes.
We may use information about you that we collect from other sources, such as newspapers, genealogy databases, other Internet sources such as blogs, and information provided by other members of FamilyLink. In these instances, we generally allow you to specify in your privacy settings whether you consent to the transfer of this information or to take other actions that limit the connection of this information to your profile (such as removing a link to your personal blog or family tree).
Family Tree Data is useful on FamilyLink to help identify possible relatives and to share ancestral data with other family members. Family trees by nature also include information about your relatives. You have the ability to choose those you want to view your family tree. You are responsible to know what information is included in your family tree and to obtain permission from living relatives if their personal information is included in your family tree.
If you choose to submit your family tree to a third-party service, you are solely responsible for the data that is included and shared through your family tree.
FamilyLink respects your privacy and the privacy of others. Family trees will never be shared, even within the FamilyLink community, without your explicit permission. You can also determine who has access to your family tree by limiting access to specific individuals who request to access your family tree.
FamilyLink is not the publisher of your individual family tree and takes no responsibility for the information included in your family tree.
The FamilyLink service is designed specifically for connecting and sharing information with your relatives. This is achieved while still allowing you to set privacy settings that restrict other users from accessing your information. You can choose the information you share through FamilyLink. Our applications and services allow you to make informed choices about who has access to your information. We never provide contact information to third parties, including third party marketers, without your permission. We only share this information when we feel it is necessary to offer the service, it is legally required, or you have requested that the information be shared. For instance,
FamilyLink is not responsible for privacy practices from other companies who may have links on our site. If you leave FamilyLink, please inform yourself of the privacy policies that exist on the current site you are visiting. This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected by FamilyLink.
Advertisements found on FamilyLink are sometimes delivered (or "served") directly to users by third party advertisers. They automatically receive your IP address and may also download cookies to your computer, or use other technologies to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize content. They may also collect information based on if and where you clicked on the advertisement. FamilyLink does not have access to or control of the cookies that may be placed by these advertisers. Third party advertisers have no access to your contact information stored on FamilyLink unless you share it with them. This privacy policy covers only the use of cookies by FamilyLink.
You can access and control your personal information using FamilyLink settings. At any time, FamilyLink users may modify or delete any of their profile information by logging into their accounts. Information will be updated immediately. Individuals may also deactivate their FamilyLink accounts. If you remove your account, some information may be available as a backup copy for a limited time. However, this information will not be shared with your family members on FamilyLink. If you have sent personal messages or other private information to family members on FamilyLink, this information can generally not be removed.
FamilyLink takes appropriate precautions to protect the information of its users. Your account information is located on a secured server behind a firewall. If you have any questions about the security of the FamilyLink Web Site, please send an email to support@familylink.com.
Your use of FamilyLink, and any disputes arising from it, is subject to this Privacy Policy as well as our Terms of Use and all of its dispute resolution provisions including arbitration, limitation on damages and choice of law. We reserve the right to change our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use at any time. If we make changes to this policy, we will post them and will indicate at the top of this page the policy's new effective date. Please refer to this policy on an ongoing basis so that you understand our current privacy policy. Unless stated otherwise, our current privacy policy applies to all information that we have about you and your account.
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please send an email to support@familylink.com. You may also contact us by mail at 4778 N 300 W, Suite 230, Provo, UT 84604.
