This Website Knows A Lot About You, and It’s Kinda Scary
There are several genealogy websites out there. You've probably heard of Ancestry.com or MyHeritage.com, but one that you may never heard of before seems to know a lot about you. FamilyTreeNow.com is a free genealogy website that shows a lot of information about a person. The site uses public records to accumulate information.
I typed in my name and it showed my last physical addresses for the last 24 years! I had forgotten some of those addresses. It also showed the names of my relatives, the names of my last two roommates, their age, date of birth and THEIR family members and possible associates. It even shows the date people passed away.
Police departments across the country are warning their staff to "Opt Out" of the website because information from the site could be used to target the families of police officers.
Snopes.com verified the site displays the public information, but the site is not intended to target police. They do warn that users who are looking for a specific person can see their information and may use that info for unintended purposes.
The website boasts one of the largest collections of genealogy records anywhere, and they're all 100% free to search! It's obviously not a website that is trying to be used for harm. It's just a genealogy website that helps families find their roots, but there is a lot of information on the site that could make you uncomfortable.
To opt out of the website, click here. It could take up to 48 hours for your information to be removed. It works. I opted out and my info is no longer shown.