California residents have specific legal rights to access, delete, correct, and limit use of their personal data, and to opt out of data sales or sharing, exercisable through Ancestry's Privacy Center.
This analysis describes what Ancestry's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
California's privacy laws give residents stronger rights over their data than users in most other US states, including specific controls over sensitive personal information like genetic data.
The updated Privacy Statement no longer displays a dedicated 'Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information' link in the footer, which was previously accessible to California residents under CCPA requirements. This link allowed users to exercise data-sharing opt-out rights. The footer now lists 'Consumer Health Privacy' as a separate item but does not explicitly direct users to their CCPA controls. California residents may need to locate their opt-out rights through alternative navigation paths on the Ancestry site.
View change record →The updated privacy policy removes the 'Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information' link from the footer navigation. This link previously provided direct access to Ancestry's data-sharing opt-out mechanism, which is a required disclosure under California's CCPA. While the removal does not eliminate the opt-out right itself, it may make the opt-out control less easily discoverable from the privacy policy page. Affected users may need to locate the opt-out mechanism through alternate navigation or search methods.
View change record →The updated Privacy Statement clarifies what uses of Ancestry services are permitted and prohibited, establishes that photo face-grouping in your gallery requires your express consent, and introduces SMS messaging as a communication channel for future opt-in communications. The statement now covers Ancestry, AncestryDNA, and Related Brands under a unified framework while noting that other services operated by the company use separate privacy statements. The removal of 'uploaded DNA data' from the account creation section reflects a narrowing of that specific provision's scope, though genetic information processing remains described elsewhere in the policy. You can review the full updated statement to understand how your personal information will be processed and manage your communication preferences when SMS opt-ins become available.
View change record →California residents can exercise data access, deletion, correction, and sale opt-out rights through Ancestry's Privacy Center. Genetic data falls within CPRA's sensitive personal information category, giving California users additional rights to limit its use and disclosure.
How other platforms handle this
When you use them, we'll validate your request by verifying your identity (for example, by confirming that you're signed in to your Google Account).
Not be Discriminated Against by us for exercising your privacy rights.
You may contact our privacy team with any requests of disclosure, correction, or deletion of your personal information. You may also request suspension of use or suspension of sharing of your personal information with certain third parties.
"If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, disclose, and sell; the right to request that we delete your personal information; the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information; the right to correct inaccurate personal information; and the right to limit use and disclosure of sensitive personal information. To exercise these rights, you may submit a request through our Privacy Center or by calling our toll-free number.Excerpt from Ancestry's Privacy Statement
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision directly engages the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).
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California's privacy laws give residents stronger rights over their data than users in most other US states, including specific controls over sensitive personal information like genetic data.
California residents can exercise data access, deletion, correction, and sale opt-out rights through Ancestry's Privacy Center. Genetic data falls within CPRA's sensitive personal information category, giving California users additional rights to limit its use and disclosure.
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