FamilyTreeNow is a free genealogy site. It lets you “research your family tree and genealogy for free!”

In other words, it’s a people search site. Anyone can use the site’s search functionality to find personal information about you, including your full name, date of birth, age, phone numbers, past and present addresses, relatives, and more. 

Having this information available on the internet puts you at an increased risk of scams, stalking, doxxing, harassment, and other unwanted behaviors. 

You can remove your information from FamilyTreeNow. Keep reading for step-by-step instructions on how to opt out of FamilyTreeNow. 

Here’s what we cover:

For a quicker and easier alternative to manual opt-outs, subscribe to DeleteMe.

What Is FamilyTreeNow?

FamilyTreeNow is a site for researching your family tree and genealogy.

FamilyTreeNow says it has “billions of historical records including census records (1790-1940), birth records, death records, marriage & divorce records, living people records, and military records.”

You can search for people by their name and location on FamilyTreeNow.

FamilyTreeNow reports can include the following information for free:

• Full name.
• Date of birth.
• Age.
• Current address.
• Past addresses.
• Possible relatives.
• Possible associates.

For more detailed information, FamilyTreeNow links to another people search site where you can buy more comprehensive people reports for a small fee.

If you think your information is on FamilyTreeNow, you’re probably also listed on Social Catfish. Want to opt out of Social Catfish? Read our Social Catfish opt-out guide.

FamilyTreeNow Listing Removal Walkthrough

Opt out from FamilyTreeNow in 7 steps.

1. Go to FamilyTreeNow and click “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” in the footer

Go to https://www.familytreenow.com/. 

Scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Click the “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link in the footer. 

2. Click “opt out” 

Scroll to the section ‘Publicly available records’ and then to ‘How to delete.’

Click the “opt out” link.

3. Fill out the short form 

You will be redirected to the ‘Opt Out of Records’ page. Scroll down. 

Enter your email address. We recommend you use a temporary email address. 

Complete the captcha challenge.

Click the “Begin Opt Out Procedure” button.

4. Search for your listing

You will be redirected to the FamilyTreeNow opt-out search.

Enter your information in the appropriate search fields. 

Click the “Search” button.

5. Click “View Details” beside your profile

You will be redirected to the search results page. 

Locate the profile that matches your information.

Click the “View Details” button to open your profile.

6. Click “Opt Out This Record”

Click the “Opt Out This Record” button. 

FamilyTreeNow will send you an email with a link to complete your opt-out request.  

7. Click the email confirmation link

Go to your email inbox and find the email from FamilyTreeNow. 

Note: If you don’t see the email from FamilyTreeNow, check your spam folder.

Click the confirmation link within the email. 

Note: The link expires within 24 hours. 

Your FamilyTreeNow opt-out request was submitted.

What Happens After You Opt Out of FamilyTreeNow?

After you opt out of FamilyTreeNow, they will remove your listing from their site. That means your personal information will not be findable through FamilyTreeNow.

However, your FamilyTreeNow opt-out may not be permanent.

Sites like FamilyTreeNow collect your information from public sources, so if they come across your personal information after you opt out, they might republish your profile.

Because of this, you need to revisit FamilyTreeNow regularly. If you notice that your FamilyTreeNow profile is relisted, you’ll need to perform the FamilyTreeNow opt-out process again. 

As an alternative to manual opt outs, you can subscribe to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe. We will remove you from sites like FamilyTreeNow on your behalf (and we will repeat the process as many times as needed).

FamilyTreeNow Opt Out FAQs

Here are some common questions that people have about FamilyTreeNow.

Who owns FamilyTreeNow?

According to The Washington Post, FamilyTreeNow is owned by Dustin Weirich, a Sacramento-based entrepreneur.

Is FamilyTreeNow legit?

Yes, FamilyTreeNow is legit in that it actually lets you create your own family tree and shows you other people’s personal information. 

How does FamilyTreeNow get data?

FamilyTreeNow gets its data from various sources, including public records.

How to remove yourself from FamilyTreeNow?

To remove yourself from FamilyTreeNow, you must complete an opt-out form on its site and confirm your request by clicking an email confirmation link. For step-by-step instructions on how to remove yourself from FamilyTreeNow, read our FamilyTreeNow opt-out guide.

Table of Contents

DeleteMe’s Family Tree Search Review

Family Tree Search is a genealogy service run by the Church of Latter-Day Saints. Unfortunately, there is no specified process to remove yourself from Family Tree Search.

Speed: 5	Difficulty: 5

How to Remove Yourself from Family Tree Search

Family Tree Search does not provide any kind of opt-out process on their site. There is nothing mentioned about removing your information in their privacy policy or their terms of service.

You can contact them here, or read their privacy policy here.

Table of Contents

DeleteMe’s Rootsweb Review

Rootsweb.com is a genealogy site, owned by Ancestry, that provides a people search service. To remove yourself from Rootsweb, you must email Ancestry customer support directly. After this, your information will be removed within 2 business days.

Speed: 3	Difficulty: 5

How to Remove Yourself from Rootsweb

1. Send an email to Ancestry’s customer service, customersolutions@ancestry.com. Include the link to your listing, your email address, and specify what information you want to have removed.

2. They may ask you to provide a government-issued ID to verify your identification. Be sure to block out your picture, signature, and ID number.

3. Your information will be removed within 2 business days.

You can read more about Rootsweb’s data breach, Ancestry’s data privacy practices, and how to delete your Ancestry account on our blog.

Table of Contents

DeleteMe’s Geni Review

Geni.com is a data broker that provides genealogy services, owned by MyHeritage. To remove yourself from Geni, you must contact them directly over email. After this, it is unclear how long it will take for your information to be removed.

Speed: 5	Difficulty: 5

How to Remove Yourself from Geni

Generally, public profiles are only made for people who are (presumed) deceased and public figures. Here is a chart explaining their public and private profiles from their Privacy Policy.

If there is information posted on Geni that you feel is a violation of your privacy, you can request that it is removed by contacting them directly.

1. Gather up all of the information that you want removed.

2. Send them this information and explain why you want it removed. You can email them at privacy@geni.com.

3. Since these requests are taken on a case-by-case basis, it is unclear how long it will take for your information to be removed.

Speed: 5	Difficulty: 3

1. Search for yourself on Genealogy.com.

2. Look through the posts. If one of them has your personal information, copy the URL of the post.

3. Email support@genealogy.com, paste the URL in the message, and ask that the post is removed.

4. It is not specified how long it will take for the information to be removed.

Table of Contents

DeleteMe’s Ancient Faces Review

Ancient Faces is a data broker that posts public records and personal information online. To remove yourself from Ancient Faces, fill out their opt out form. After this, your information will be removed within 48 hours.

Speed: 3	Difficulty: 1

How to Remove Yourself from Ancient Faces

1. Go to https://www.ancientfaces.com/ and search for your listing.

2. Find your listing and click on it.

3. Copy the URL of your listing.

4. Go to their contact page, https://www.ancientfaces.com/content/contact.

5. Select “Request to Remove Information from the drop down menu and put an email address in the box (we recommend using a Masked Email from Blur). In the message box, paste the URL of your listing. Click Submit.

6. Your information should be removed within 48 hours.

Table of Contents

Deleting Your Ancestry Account: Step-by-Step

These screenshots were taken directly from the ‘Deleting Your Ancestry Account’ page on Ancestry.com.

1. Go to ancestry.com/secure/account/delete, and sign in to your ancestry account with your email and password.

2. It will list the subscriptions that will be deleted with your account. Check the box.

3. It will list the tree(s) that will be deleted with your account. Check the box.

4. Then, it will confirm that your DNA testing results will be deleted. Check the boxes and click ‘Next step’.

5. Next, in the pop up box, click ‘Next step’. This will be consenting to the deletion of your account. After this, you will not be able to access your account or undo the deletion, and all of your personal data will be deleted within 30 days. Do not close the box, as you will need to enter a verification code from your email.

6. Open your email in a new tab, where you will find an email with a verification code. The code expires after eight hours, so it’s best to continue with the process right away. Copy the code.

7. Paste the code into the verification box and click ‘Delete account’.

8. You will receive a final email confirming the deletion of your account.

Disposing Your Saliva Sample

1. Call Ancestry’s corporate headquarters at 801-705-7000.
2. Press 1 for assistance with your account. Next, Press 3 for product support, and press 1 for AncestryDNA kits. This should get you to a person pretty quickly.
3. Tell them that you want your DNA sample disposed of. They will ask for the email associated with your account, and maybe for the activation code that you used to when taking the saliva sample.
4. They will then contact the lab to have your sample disposed. You can also ask to be notified once it is destroyed.
5. I would recommend doing this before deleting your account, to make sure that they still know which DNA sample is connected to your account.
6. Ask for follow up confirmation.

Read: How to Remove Yourself from Archives.com

Archives.com poses as a family history and genealogy site, but really just is another data broker posting personal information online. To remove yourself from archives.com, you must fill out an opt out form. After that, it may take up to three weeks for your information to be removed. 

Speed: 5	Difficulty: 2

How to Remove Yourself from Archives.com

1. Go to https://www.archives.com/optout and fill in your information. We recommend using a masked email to confirm your request.

2. When you’re finished filling out the form, click “Submit”.

3. Wait for the confirmation email. This can take up to three weeks.