Privacy policy

Last updated: October 2026

Who is responsible

Visit Ancestors is run by an independent private individual, not by a public body or a company. For any question about your data, write to contact@cookiecat.fr.

Data we keep to a minimum

We do not collect personal data for commercial purposes. The website requires no account, no sign-up and no newsletter.

• Surname search and origins finder: what you type and the answers you choose are processed in your browser to show results. They are not sent to our server and not stored.
• Archive letter tool: the names, places and email address you enter are used only in your browser to write the letter. We do not receive them. You decide whether to send the letter, and to whom.
• Present-day directories: we show only counts of households per town. To look up a living person, the website sends you to each country's official directory, which applies its own privacy policy.
• Historical directories: we show names, addresses and phone numbers as printed in public-domain directories (mostly before 1990), for family history research.

Third-party services and cookies

The following services may set cookies or similar trackers, under their own privacy policies:

• Google Analytics: audience measurement.
• Stay22: accommodation search and comparison.

These services only run after you click "Accept" in our cookie banner. If you click "Refuse", they stay off and the website works the same. Your choice is kept in your browser for six months; you can change it at any time with the "Cookie settings" link at the bottom of every page.

The map, its data, our typefaces and our images are hosted on our own server and set no cookies. You can refuse cookies in your browser settings, and manage Google advertising preferences at adssettings.google.com.

Affiliate links and research services

Some links to research services (for example Ancestry, MyHeritage, Spokeo) and booking platforms are affiliate links. When you click one, the partner may know that you came from Visit Ancestors, in order to credit a possible subscription or booking. What you then do on their website is governed by their own privacy policy.

Local hosts

Signing up as a local host is not open yet. When it opens, hosts will join only with their explicit consent, and only their first name and town will be public. This policy will be updated before then.

Your rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to access, correct, erase, restrict, port and object to the processing of your data. Write to contact@cookiecat.fr. Data kept in your own browser is under your control: you can delete it by clearing this website's data.

If a historical directory entry concerns you or a relative and you want it removed, write to the same address.

Complaints

You can file a complaint with the French data protection authority, the CNIL, at www.cnil.fr.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated. The version online when you visit applies.