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  4. Privacy & Sharing Page

Setting Privacy & Sharing Preferences

The following explains how to opt in to matching and how to set your sharing preferences. 

Your Profile 

The Your Profile section explains that your profile will be shown to your matches on the levels that you select in the other sections of the Privacy & Sharing page. 

Your profile includes your name, picture, email address, haplogroups, earliest known ancestors, ancestral surnames, your personal story, and your country of residence. 

Matching Preferences

The Matching Preferences section is where you can opt in to matching and Investigative Genetic Genealogy Matching (IGGM).

Important:

  • If you do not opt in to matching, all of the other options in this section will be disabled (grayed out).
  • You will only be able to select matching levels for the type of tests that you have taken. If you have not taken a test, the corresponding section will be disabled (grayed out).

Opt in to and out of Matching

You can choose to participate or to not participate in matching at any time. However, before you decide to consent, you must read and agree with our Consent to Participate in Matching policy.  

To opt in to matching:

  1. Read our Consent to Participate in Matching policy.
    - If you agree to our policy, go to step 2.
    - If you do not agree to our policy, you will not see any other user who might have matched you, and no other user will see you.
  2. In the Matching Preferences section, click the Opt in to Matching toggle switch (it will turn blue). 

To opt out of matching:

  1. At the top of the Matching Preferences section, click the  Opt in to Matching toggle switch (it will turn gray).

Information Shared with Matches

The information shown with matches on the match card includes:

For a more detailed list of information shared with contacts, please see out Information Shared with Matches article.

 

Investigative Genetic Genealogy Matching (IGGM)

Please note that you must be opted in to matching before you can opt in to Investigative Genetic Genealogy Matching (IGGM).

If you want to participate in IGGM, make sure the Opt in to IGGM toggle switch is selected (it will turn blue).

If you do not want to participate in IGGM, make sure that the Opt in to IGGM toggle switch is toggled off (gray).

Note: Whether you are opted in or opted out of Investigative Genetic Genealogy Matching, you will never see a registered law enforcement kit in your matches list.

 Click here to learn more about Investigative Genetic Genealogy Matching. 

Matching Levels

Match levels are for matching purposes only. If you have not consented to participate in matching, the Matching Levels drop-down lists will be disabled, and you will not be able to make any selections in this section.

The matching levels you choose determine the following:

  • which matches you see.
  • which matches see you.
  • with which users you are matched.
  • for Y-DNA and mtDNA matching, information about how you and your matches test results match and differ from each other and between common matches.

When you and a match both have the same testing level selected, you will see each other as a match. If one of you does not have the same testing level selected, neither of you will see the other as a match at that level.

Please note that if any of your matches (on the levels for which you have chosen to share) are a member of a Group Project(s), their Group Administrators will also be able to view your profile.

Family Finder™ Matching

Family Finder matching allows you to select which autosomal match relationship level you want to see matches for and grant those matches the ability to connect with you. You will be matched with users who have tested at the level you select.

For Family Finder matching, select one of the following options in the drop-down list:

  • All Levels 
  • Distant, Close & Immediate
  • Close & Immediate 
  • Immediate Only
  • None

mtDNA Matching

mtDNA matching allows you to select which mtDNA (genetic maternal line) match level you want to see matches for and grant those matches the ability to connect with you. You will be matched with users who have tested at the level you select.

For mtDNA matching, select one of the following options in the drop-down list:

  • All Levels
  • HVR2 & Full Sequence
  • Full Sequence Only

Y-DNA Matching

Note: This section is displayed for male gender kits only.

Y-DNA matching allows you to select which Y-DNA (genetic paternal line) match level you want to see matches for and grant those matches the ability to connect with you. You will be matched with users who have tested at the level you select.

For Y-DNA matching, select one of the following options in the drop-down list:

  • All Levels
  • Y-25 
  • Y-37
  • Y-67
  • Y-111
  • Big Y & SNP Only 
  • None 

Match Preference Summary

The Match Preference Summary section displays a summary of the testing levels that you have selected for matching.

Origins Sharing 

The Origins Sharing section is where you can choose to share your ethnicity and other origin estimates with your matches. When you opt in to sharing:

  • You and your matches will see each other’s estimated origin percentages.
  • All matches with Family Finder results will be able to view each other’s shared regions.

In this section, complete one of the following:

  • If you want to share your origins with your matches, click the Opt in to Sharing toggle switch (it will turn blue).
  • If you do not want to share your origins, make sure the Opt in to Sharing toggle switch is not selected (gray). 

Family Tree Sharing

The Family Tree Sharing section is where you can choose whether or not to share your family tree and with whom you share it.

For family tree sharing, select one of the following options in the drop-down list:

  • All FamilyTreeDNA Users - By this, we mean that if you are linked to a match’s tree and that match shares their tree or if one of their matches views the tree, your information will be displayed on their shared tree.
  • Only Matches
  • Only Me 

Please note that when you select to share your family tree, living people born less than 100 years ago will not be displayed. You, deceased individuals, and individuals born more than 100 years ago will be displayed. 

 

FamilyTreeDNA employs a stringent privacy policy. We are committed to the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information transferred from the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, and Switzerland to the United States, respectively. FamilyTreeDNA does not share information with third parties, and our customers choose what information they want to disclose.  We include our Privacy Policy as part of our Terms of Service.  For more information,  click here to read our entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. To learn more about the Privacy Shield program, and to view our certification, listed under Gene By Gene, Ltd., please visit U.S. Department of Commerce's Privacy Shield List.

 

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