Can I use people's names who are still living in a Genealogy book without their permission?

answers1: 1
answers2: Personally, I would try contacting those living relatives
and ask their permission for you to add their names, date/birthplace,
as a matter of courtesy. I have info like that listed for me in a
large family genealogy another relative is maintaining only because I
gave him the information, thereby implying my approval of having the
info printed in the family tree record. <br>
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If you contact any individuals, I recommend you do it in writing, via
US mail (not email), explain what you wish to do and even offer to
give him/her a copy of your work when done. Include your home phone
number & email address in your correspondence. If you get no reply,
in any form, then, I recommend you do not include the people. <br>
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You can just add "son" or "daughter" and perhaps a birth year and
state of birth as the children of a couple. Perhaps others answering
here can advise on the etiquette of doing that. <br>
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I keep my family tree up to date online through Ancestry.com and those
few living individuals I have included just show up as "Living" to
anyone who is not invited by me to view my complete family tree.
answers3: While there are no laws that specifically address privacy
issues and genealogy, it is generally practiced that personal
information regarding living individuals not be published -- whether
in a book or online -- without the expressed permission of the
individual. To do so, without the permission of the individual, could
potentially open you up to unforeseen consequences. <br>
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I know of several researchers, myself included, that would refuse to
share information with another person if that person showed a
disregard for the preferences of the individuals they were
researching. <br>
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Not everyone cares about genealogy. Because an individual is a member
of a family line, doesn't give you open ended access or permission to
do what you want with their information. This is one of the core
reasons so many states have such restrictive rules regarding official
documents and their dissemination to anyone -- including genealogical
researchers. <br>
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To save yourself a lot of trouble, you should request their
permission. It should be their choice whether or not to be included
in the family history.
answers4: This seems to come up a lot and generally separates the
'hobbyist' from the 'genealogist'. The ethical standard for
genealogist is that no living individual should be included in any
shared work without their express written consent without regard to
where the information was acquired, period. Even if it the information
was a matter of public record, one should not include it in a shared
genealogy without the individuals express written consent…you want to
write a tell-all family secrets choose a different format if the
individuals are living.
answers5: I am an old man; further, I am an American. My most recent
immigrant ancestor came here almost 200 years ago; others in 1714,
1620, and 10s of thousands of years ago. Therefore, I hate it when
people place my personal info on the internet. <br>
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Next point of contention: with name, date/place of birth, any one can
still their identity, buy a house, a car, fly to Hawaii, whatever.
Perhaps the victim will get his/her I.D. back, etc., but the
psychological harm will be there for the rest of their life. <br>
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IAW the "Law of the Press", yes, it is illegal. And if you published
such info about me, I definitely would sue you. <br>
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You have no right at all to threaten anyone by your
carelessness/selfishness. <br>
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Lastly, "distant family members" are NOT part of your family tree;
your tree means you, your parents, their parents, et al as far back as
you can go.
answers6: If this is something others are going to see then it is
common courtesy to get full written permission to use their
information......if you use their names and details and they are
targeted by fraud then you could become part of that investigation and
charged if found that it helped others commit the fraud....anyway
morally it is completely wrong not to contact them