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Archiver > BOARDS-ADMINS > 2002-04 > 1018039235


From:
Subject: [BD-ADM] Re: Adoption Queries
Date: Fri, 05 Apr 2002 15:40:35 -0500
In-Reply-To: <200204050126.g351Qbx32598@lists2.rootsweb.com>


At 4/4/2002 08:26 PM, "Fred" <> wrote:
>What privacy issue? That seems to be a matter of opinion, rather than
>following the rules set forth for genealogy! She has followed the rules as
>you requested, but you are inserting a moral aspect here! She has the right
>to do the search. Just because we may or may not agree with there reason,
>we do not have the right to insert moral opinion as board admins. We are
>there to see that the rules are followed and this person has done so, at
>your request. I don't think you have the right to remove it.
>Just my opinion!


I believe that respecting privacy is more than a moral issue. It is one of
the basic tenets of genealogy.

The Standards For Sharing Information With Others,
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/comstandsharing.htm, recommended by the
National Genealogical Society states:

>Conscious of the fact that sharing information or data with others,
>whether through speech, documents or electronic media, is essential to
>family history research and that it needs continuing support and
>encouragement, RESPONSIBLE [emphasis added] family historians consistently --
>
>Require some evidence of consent before assuming that living people are
>agreeable to further sharing of information about themselves.
>
>Convey personal identifying information about living people—like age, home
>address, occupation or activities—only in ways that those concerned have
>expressly agreed to.
>
>Recognize that legal rights of privacy may limit the extent to which
>information from publicly available sources may be further used,
>disseminated or published.
>
>Are sensitive to the hurt that revelations of criminal, immoral, bizarre
>or irresponsible behavior may bring to family members.

In the NGS Guidelines For Publishing Web Pages On The Internet
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/comstandweb.htm (IMHO, publicly archived
mailing lists and message boards also fall into this category) the NGS
recommends:

>Adhere to the NGS “Standards for Sharing Information with Others”
>regarding copyright, attribution, privacy, and the sharing of sensitive
>information.
>
>Respect the rights of others who do not wish information about themselves
>to be published, referenced or linked on a web site.

If, as family historians, we fail to respect the rights of others, we risk
losing their respect and trust. And without that trust, the well of shared
information could become very dry.

,
Patrice


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