Ancestry · Ancestry Privacy Statement · View original document ↗

Cookies and Third-Party Tracking Technologies

High severity Rare · 1 of 343 platforms
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Recent governance activity Ancestry recorded 8 documented changes in the last 30 days.
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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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The provision establishes the operational framework for first-party and third-party data collection mechanisms. It defines the authorized purposes for tracking data and establishes that users may manage cookie preferences through a consent tool, creating a structured approach to tracking technology deployment across the Ancestry platform and partner networks.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Jun 21, 2026

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 →
Medium May 13, 2026

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 →
Medium May 1, 2026

California residents lose direct navigation to the CCPA-mandated 'Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information' disclosure page from Ancestry's privacy footer. While California law requires the company to honor data sale opt-out requests, removing the link reduces visibility and accessibility of this right. California residents can locate this right by searching Ancestry's website or contacting the company directly, but the removal creates an additional barrier to exercising a legally protected option.

View change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Users operate under terms that authorize continuous collection of usage information through multiple tracking technologies. The provision permits sharing of tracking capabilities with third-party advertising partners and establishes that users may adjust cookie preferences, but does not restrict the underlying authorization for tracking-based data collection and targeted advertising delivery.

How other platforms handle this

Netflix Medium

Cookies are small data files that are commonly stored on your device when you access websites and online services. The text in a cookie contains a string of numbers and letters that may uniquely identify a device and can contain other information as well. This allows the web server to recognize your...

Webull Medium

We and our third-party partners may use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, and other tracking technologies to collect information about your use of our website and apps, including your browsing activity, device type, IP address, and referring URLs. We use this information to personalize your experien...

Chase Medium

We, or our service providers, and other companies we work with may deploy and use cookies, web beacons, local shared objects and other tracking technologies for the following purposes: fraud prevention and monitoring our advertising and marketing campaign performance. Some of these tracking tools ma...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
We use cookies, web beacons, pixels, and other tracking technologies to collect information about your use of our Services. This information may be used to deliver targeted advertising, analyze usage, and improve our Services. You can manage your cookie preferences through our cookie consent tool. Third-party advertising partners may also use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your activities across different websites and apps over time.

— Excerpt from Ancestry's Ancestry Privacy Statement

Applicable regulations

BIPA
Illinois, USA
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
HIPAA
United States Federal
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
Ancestry Privacy Statement
Entity
Ancestry
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 20, 2026
Last verified
May 20, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-006461
Document ID
CA-D-00224
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
e4728e20520d9ea84ca85351bbc3b56d19c91722208d393b7975a82ef9fd143c
Analysis generated
May 20, 2026 23:56 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Ancestry
Document: Ancestry Privacy Statement
Record ID: CA-P-006461
Captured: 2026-05-20 23:56:40 UTC
SHA-256: e4728e20520d9ea8…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/ancestry/ancestry-privacy-statement/cookies-and-third-party-tracking-technologies/
Accessed: July 4, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Ancestry's Cookies and Third-Party Tracking Technologies clause do?

The provision establishes the operational framework for first-party and third-party data collection mechanisms. It defines the authorized purposes for tracking data and establishes that users may manage cookie preferences through a consent tool, creating a structured approach to tracking technology deployment across the Ancestry platform and partner networks.

How does this clause affect you?

Users operate under terms that authorize continuous collection of usage information through multiple tracking technologies. The provision permits sharing of tracking capabilities with third-party advertising partners and establishes that users may adjust cookie preferences, but does not restrict the underlying authorization for tracking-based data collection and targeted advertising delivery.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 1 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Ancestry?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Ancestry.