Last modified: November 1, 2024
Effective Date: November 1, 2024
Read the previous version of this document.
Thank you for considering participating in Group Projects. Group Projects at FamilyTreeDNA offer many benefits, providing ways for customers to work together with others of similar interests. We are hopeful that this participation will help you discover more about your family history and anthropology as a whole.
By choosing to participate in a Group Project, you are agreeing to the additional terms specified in this document. These additional terms become a part of your agreement with FamilyTreeDNA and the Terms of Service and Privacy Statement.
Your participation in Group Projects is completely voluntary and is not required to use any of our products or services. Even if you consent to participate in Group Projects, you may withdraw your participation at any time, but certain information may not be removed from Group Projects. We encourage you to carefully read the full text below before deciding to participate.
Group Projects are special interest groups focused on exploring a common genetic heritage between a certain group of people. Each Group Project is created with specific goals in mind that are related to a wide variety of topics such as genealogy or anthropology, and by joining a Group Project, you are aiding in research of that project.
Group Project Administrators are genealogists and hobbyists like you who have volunteered to serve as administrators for specific projects. Every administrator’s interests and capabilities are different. Group Project Administrators may assist Group Project Members by grouping together the results of their members, answering member’s questions, and may, at times, assist with an individual’s genealogy.
Group Projects may have more than one administrator and/or co-administrator. The Group Project’s Administrators and Co-Administrators may change over time with new administrators being added or removed without prior notice to members.
To view the list of administrators for any Group Project, click here.
By choosing to participate in a Group Project, you grant administrators and co-administrators, pertaining to the individual Group Project, access to certain information and results.
Although it is not required, members are encouraged to work and communicate with their administrators as well as other members to achieve the goals of the project(s).
By joining a Group Project, you are automatically opting in to publicly sharing portions of your pseudonymized DNA results. After joining a Group Project, you may opt out of publicly sharing these results by going to the Privacy & Sharing section in your account. While this is a personal choice, you should be aware that opting out of sharing this information significantly reduces the benefits of joining a Group Project.
Minimum (minimum level of access): Provides the administrator(s) the ability to utilize tools, specifically built for administrators, that allow the administrator to view certain results in relation to how you match other project members. With this access level, the administrator will not have access to any of your myFTDNA pages and will not be able to see your matches, your family tree, or your Big Y results. This level of access severely limits the administrator’s ability to assist you with your results.
Limited: In addition to the tools mentioned for the “Minimum” access level, “Limited” access grants the administrator the ability to visit your personal myFTDNA pages to view your matches and genetic information that may support project research. WIth this access level, the administrator will not be able to view your Personal Information; however, they will be able to view but not edit your account settings.
Advanced: In addition to the capabilities and tools given in “Limited” access, “Advanced” access grants the administrator the ability to co-manage your account, including but not limited to ordering tests for your kit and modifying Personal Information with the exception of the account’s primary email address and password as well as a few minor settings. Please see the chart in the Help Center for more specific information.
Other Options: Project members have the option to share the coding region of their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with their administrators on their Privacy and Sharing tab.
For more specific details on Group Project Administrator Access Levels, visit the Group Administrator Access Levels and Permissions page in the Help Center.
Administrator access can be adjusted on your Project Preferences page.
Group Project Administrators will have the ability to contact you directly via email or to contact all members of the project with a generic/bulk email. Your DNA results may also be sorted into specific subcategories with suggestions on how to proceed. You can adjust your Group Administrator “Bulk” email settings in your Notification Preferences page.
There are no costs for joining a Group Project. However, some Group Projects have specific goals, which make it beneficial for members to take a particular test; therefore, administrators may suggest that members purchase additional tests.
On your Project Preferences page, you may leave a project by clicking the “Leave Project” button that corresponds to the Group Project you want to leave. Should you choose to leave a project, please contact the administrator(s) to request removal of any information you might have shared with them outside of the standard information shared when you join a Group Project
Members will receive an email informing them of new administrators or co-administrators being added to the project. Emails will typically go out within 24 hrs of a new administrator being accepted into a project.
For questions or concerns about a specific Group Project, it is best to contact an administrator or co-administrator within the project. Contact information can be found on that specific project’s homepage. For any other inquiries, contact our Customer Service.
Projects may have an externally-hosted website maintained by a Group Project Administrator(s) where results are displayed. Although we hold these externally hosted websites to the same requirements as FamilyTreeDNA hosted pages, FamilyTreeDNA has no control or responsibility over said websites. All requests related to external Group Project sites need to be communicated directly to the administrators of those websites.
Group Projects are a free convenience to which we give users access. Participating in a project means you are choosing to share certain Personal Information with Group Project Administrators. As stated in our TOS and Privacy Statement, FamilyTreeDNA is not responsible for any consequences resulting from the sharing of any of your Personal Information with users, including Group Project Administrators.
We have set forth a strict set of terms, policies, and guidelines for Group Project Administrators to follow. To view said terms and policies click here.
If you believe that any administrator or project is in violation of these guidelines, please contact us immediately at groups@familytreedna.com.