I realize that a great many posts of the past few
days tend to stray from "Carman" Genealogy, but
as a subscriber, I am following the lead of the
List Administrator on what topics are valid on
this list.
Regarding, Privacy, the Internet and Genealogy,
I find it extremely funny that a great interest is
taken to protect privacy in Genealogical data by
invoking the use of a database field, that tells you
whether someone is living or not.
The World Connect Project will go so far as to
edit your GEDCOM work to remove such information of
living relatives. What if let's say that the living
relative has given permission for his or her data to
be included in your online project??
We "The Internet Genealogical Community" do not
take the time to validate birth dates, death dates, etc.
That is up to the submitter they say! Well, so is
protecting the privacy of your relatives.
Unfortunately, it is beyond your control to
adequately to police this situation! Since it falls again
to the law and the lawyers.
For example, John Smith was busted for smoking dope at
school. It made the newspaper, it's public knowledge.
For example, John Smith was busted as a minor, it did not
make the newspaper but it was on an official report from
the school. You include the data online and source the
school report. Are you invading privacy? No. Did the
school violate privacy, probably but someone will have to
sue them, yet the damage is done, the information has
made it to cyberspace and has been duplicated in a dozen
databases!
Privacy protection is an individual decision and
if you try to police it such as the attempt at World
Connect Project, then I say okay let's take out the 100
variations on John-1 Carman's birth date and require
proper sources!
It's a catch-22 and a circular argument!