Ancestry Transparency Report
January 2021
9 February 2021
Providing transparency about when we get requests for government/law enforcement access to it is an ongoing part of Ancestry’s commitment to protect our customers and their data. Our latest transparency report covers the second half of 2020 and prior transparency reports can be found linked at the bottom of this document. This report covers requested access addressed to all Ancestry brands.
As explained in our Guide for Law Enforcement and our Privacy Statement, Ancestry requires valid legal process for all law enforcement access. Additionally, we believe that the nature of our members’ DNA data is particularly sensitive, so we insist on a court order or search warrant as the minimum level of due process before we will review our ability to comply with the request. We also seek to put our members’ privacy first, so we also will try to minimize the scope or even invalidate the warrant before complying.
Overview
US-based requests:
- Ancestry received two requests seeking access to Ancestry’s DNA database between July 1 and December 31, 2020. Ancestry challenged both of these requests, which were withdrawn. Ancestry has provided no data in response at the time of this publication.
- Ancestry received four valid law enforcement requests related to criminal investigations involving other crimes, including credit card misuse, fraud, and/or identity theft. Ancestry did not provide any data in response to these requests.
- Ancestry also refused numerous inquiries on the basis that the requestor failed to obtain the appropriate legal process.
International Requests:
Ancestry received no valid requests from outside the United States.
National Security Requests
As of December 30, 2020, Ancestry has never received a classified request pursuant to the national security laws of the United States or any other country. In other words, Ancestry has not received a National Security Letter or a request under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
