re keeping a family tree on a commercial web site > my family tree is of an unique surname, any one with it is of our tree since Napoleon for tax reasons had all surnames in his empire registered and spelt the same > my ancestor spelt it in a traditional way while every other family with a similar surname were spelt slightly different. One Dutch relative kept this tree (and photographs) on the open web so anyone could access it and add to it. It meant that anyone could find my mother, her maiden name etc etc all which form part of security for many sites, financial or otherwise. I and some other relations questioned the security of this but the web page owner was a programmer and at that time to get a web page done was new technology. It ended with his own details being used to forge official documents and actual access to a financial account because one of his passwords was linked to a former relative. It is now private but I am sure there is so much info on Genealogy sites that hackers would find this a goldmine???
I am very aware of this and try not to give to much info to others unless I totally trust where they will use it and have cautioned my children and grandchildren of the family book that they have all been given.

The whole philosophy of the FoD website has been to make information available free of charge to users. We do not make any imagery available, but it is true that with a little effort a commercial website could obtain copies of our transcripts and publish them. All we ask is that the source and our copyright is acknowledged.
As to the site's security we are not aware of any problems, but if users are concerned they can choose not to use the site. We take all reasonable steps to make sure the site is secure and this includes keeping the software up to date. Personal data of our users stored on our servers is limited to the information users include in their profile. The minimum required is Email address, Username and password which is encrypted.
We all give of our time freely without reward, do the best we can within our capabilities and seek professional assistance where appropriate.
Admin

I've been trying to reply to your message rsgli re your family Williams of St B. Keep getting,
no authorisation. My mother's maiden name is Preest, also loads of connections to the Forest & St B from my father's side of the family, should I start a new thread? I love this site, I use
it a lot and always reference any sources I might take from the website, it doesn't take a minute and it brings people to the site. My personal gripe I suppose, it doesn't hurt to share, so selfish not to I believe.