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We use cookies if you have a Geni account, use the Geni website or API (whether or not you are registered or logged in), or visit other websites and apps that use content embedded from Geni. By using Geni you agree to the use of cookies as described above.
The privacy of you and your family is important to Geni. You can find our full privacy policy below. Below you will find a simple explanation of Geni's privacy model as well as the full privacy policy. Here's how it works:
You can think of the profiles in your tree as being divided into two groups: private profiles and public profiles. Each time you add a profile to your tree, you are designated the manager of that profile and the profile is automatically assigned to one of the groups. Private profiles are intended for living relatives and minors. Public profiles are intended for deceased relatives and public figures. You may also choose to make recently-deceased profiles private, and Geni will sometimes make newly-added, deceased profiles private in order to help protect the privacy of nearby profiles and users. Geni recommends that profiles of people born more than 150 years ago be public however if you have privacy concerns about your parents or grandparents, you can make those profiles private.
Initially you will be the sole manager of profiles you add, however managers can be added manually (by request) or it can happen automatically when duplicate profiles are merged. You can remove unrelated (or distantly-related) managers from profiles closely related to you.
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Private Profiles | Public Profiles | |
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Who is in each group? |
Living Relatives Minors Select Recently-deceased Relatives |
Most Deceased Relatives Presumed Deceased Relatives Public Figures |
Who can view profiles? |
Managers Users in the Family Group of any manager Users Near the Managed Profile3 Geni Curators Geni Employees |
Anyone |
Who can edit profiles? |
Managers Users in the Family Group of any manager Users Near the Managed Profile3 Geni Curators Geni Employees |
All Geni users (limited)1 Managers Collaborators of any manager Users in the Family Group of any manager Project Collaborators2 Users Near the Managed Profile3 Geni Curators Geni Employees |
1 Geni users that do not meet the criteria for any other group listed may edit the "Basics" and "Relationships" tabs, as well as the "About" biography, on profiles that are either connected to Geni's World Family Tree or in the same tree as the user.
2 Collaborators in a project are given full edit permissions on all public profiles tagged to that project.
3 Within the maximum Family Group range of 4th cousins (5 or fewer generations up or down the tree) including their spouses, and 1st cousins (1 or 2 generations up or down the tree) of any spouses of the profile
Your tree is privatized just like individual profiles. Anyone can view your tree but they will only be able to see information on public profiles, and other Geni users per their selections on the Profile Privacy settings page.
Geni Curators are volunteer Geni users granted special privileges by Geni to help maintain and improve the quality and accuracy of the Geni World Family Tree. Geni Curators are specially selected based on their integrity and the quality of their work on Geni. Candidate Curators undergo a nomination and voting process. Accepted Geni Curators are formally appointed and, like Geni Employees, they sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the company to ensure they protect data confidentiality. Geni Curators have the ability, at a user’s request, to assist the user in merging and correcting errors in their tree, including the user’s own profile and those of close relatives.
Geni Employees have full access to all data on Geni. They use this access if requested by users in order to provide customer support, check abuse complaints, resolve problems and generally assist users in their usage of Geni.