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Ancestry.com class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiff Ethan Shebesh filed a class action lawsuit against Ancestry.com and Geneanet SA.
- Why: Ancestry.com allegedly uses consumers’ identifying information for commercial purposes without their consent in violation of Illinois law.
- Where: The Ancestry.com class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court.
An Ancestry.com class action lawsuit alleges the company uses consumers’ identifying information for commercial purposes without their consent in violation of the Illinois Right to Publicity Act (IRPA).
Plaintiff Ethan Shebesh filed the Ancestry.com class action lawsuit June 29 against Ancestry.com and Geneanet SA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ancestry.com.
The defendants own and operate www.geneanet.org, a genealogy website that allows users to share their genealogical information and connect with relatives and other Geneanet members.
“As with other genealogy websites, Geneanet allows its users to upload family history to build out an online family tree,” the Ancestry.com class action lawsuit explains. “The information uploaded may include relatives’ names, as well as documents, photographs, historical documents, news articles, and the like.”
Plaintiff says his full name appeared on Ancestry.com website to promote paid premium Geneanet memberships
Shebesh says he is one of 8 billion individuals identified on the Geneanet website. When searching for his last name, he discovered his full name and his spouse’s full name listed in the “free preview” search results.
When he clicked on his name on the free preview page, he was directed to a “Profile” page that included his full name, as well as the names of his parents, spouse, and half-siblings. The page also featured an orange “Become Premium” button urging users to sign up for a paid membership.
Premium memberships reportedly cost $12.50 for a three-month subscription, $50 for a one-year subscription, and $90 for a two-year subscription, according to the Ancestry.com website class action lawsuit.
Shebesh says he never provided written consent to use his name or likeness on the Ancestry.com website and he would not have provided it if Geneanet had asked for his consent. He claims the defendants have used the putative class members’ identities to advertise for-profit Premium memberships in violation of the IRPA.
The Illinois legislature reportedly enacted IRPA in 1999, granting the right of individuals to control and choose how their identities are used for commercial purposes.
Under IRPA, a person cannot use an individual’s identity for commercial purposes during their lifetime without first obtaining written consent from the individual or their authorized representative, the Ancestry.com class action lawsuit explains. IRPA violations may result in an award of up to $1,000 per violation and other damages to those affected, Shebesh says.
Shebesh filed the Ancestry.com class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and other current and former Illinois residents who do not have a Geneanet.org membership and whose identity was incorporated in a “profile” or “free preview” page.
Last fall, a federal judge denied Ancestry.com’s motion to compel arbitration in a case alleging it illegally disclosed thousands of minors’ genetic information when the company was acquired by the private equity firm Blackstone.
Have you been featured on an Ancestry.com website without your consent? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
Shebesh is represented by Jon Loevy, Michael I. Kanovitz, and Thomas M. Hanson of Loevy & Loevy.
The Ancestry.com website class action lawsuit is Ethan Shebesh v. Ancestry.com, et al., Case No. 1:23-cv-04195, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
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110 thoughts onAncestry.com class action claims website shows identifying info during advertising memberships
Add me for racial discrimination they took my Native American and he took my Irish
Add me please
Add me to the list, please
Please add me to the list. Not only did they get into my Ancestry and Ancestry never notified me about it, I still have a link on there from a person that was trying to email me and pick me up. Not a DNA match had no idea how they got a hold of my family profile or anything. I’m disabled I’m a professional genealogist, and I was hoping and praying to one day make that a genealogical book for my family and then maybe I could make some money off of it. But all of those dreams are now long gone. Help not only was my DNA compromised but my entire gene line. The only way they could’ve gained access to my DNA is if they had gotten my information when they hacked my church files at the church of Jesus Christ LDS now I was informed about that two years ago but this past year when they hacked my ancestry ancestry never informed me of crap. Nor did I ever get news from either company about what the end result was or who it was that got our data. I’m worried about my DNA, now I’m worried about my children’s DNA, I’m worried about what they will use that for, how do I know they’re not gonna try to take that to some nefarious country and try to design a bio weapon that’s going to attack me specifically or my family line specifically? I don’t and that’s the tragedy we live under today. Sadly and I want a lawyer fast I live in Pennsylvania my phone number is 407-683-5036 kindly find me one quick
I am super concerned. I am Ashkenazi and have had a lot of “spammy and scam” attempts over the last several months. Who can people actually talk to?
My information was also put on the web page
Geneanet refuses to remove my info until my subscription ends. One week after subscription, they removed dna matching which was the only reason I used them.
we need to go after familysearrch.org they blocked me kept my info!!!
Familysearch.org is affiliated with ancestry! They block yiu keep your personal photos and info they made sure i could not email them I tried to speak with the lds members people on the phone there at familysearch to straighten out mistake that was on there and they refused to listen they didn’t care and so I went ahead and tried to take it off and put a different name like I basically said this is bull crap they didn’t like that and they said I didn’t go along with their rules and made sure they blocked me indefinitely I spoke to relative and they said that’s kind of strange them to block you and definitely will they have not only that find a grave is affiliated with them too and they got involved with my personal aunt’s business and her burial to where they called the burial place these people need to be held accountable for the stuff that they do and no one’s doing anything I would add them to the ancestry ticket familysearch.org
My mother has had all of her 30 years worth of family tree and phtos made public, adter ancestry.com purchased legacy. She provided no consent and ancestry are profiting from her many years of ohysical and highly detailed research. She is very upset.