LookingBackwards.net Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: August 1, 2025

These Terms and Conditions describe your rights and responsibilities when using the LookingBackwards.net website. By accessing the site, you agree to abide by these terms. These policies help ensure our genealogical, historical, and personal heritage resources remain a safe and respectful space for contributors, researchers, and family members alike.

Accounts and Membership

To access private genealogical data or contribute to the community, users must register for an account. Registration and access are governed as follows:

  • You must be at least 13 years old to register.
  • Minors under the age of 18 may be required to submit signed parental or guardian consent when registering for an account in the genealogy section (“All Our Relations”).
  • You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
  • Accounts may be suspended or deleted for violations of these terms or actions deemed harmful to the community.

Definition of “Living”

For privacy purposes, an individual in our genealogy database is classified as “living” if:

  • No death date is recorded, and
  • Their birth year is 100 years ago or less from the current date.

This designation triggers automatic suppression of personal details.

Suppression of Living Persons’ Data

To protect the privacy of living individuals:

  • Names, birth/marriage/death data, photos, biographies, and notes are suppressed from public view.
  • This data is only visible to registered users who are verified family members, and only for those within their authorized family branch.
  • If any living person does not want their data on the site—even in a password-protected context—they will need to be fully excluded from the database.

Data Lockout Options

  • Registered users may request a “lock” be placed on their own record to prevent even relatives from viewing their personal data.
  • This option restricts access and may preclude registration or linkage within a family tree.
  • In cases involving spouses from different family lines, a user may request a second login account to access the alternate family branch.

Photographs Policy

  • Photographs of living individuals are treated as personal data.
  • Inclusion of such photos requires:
    • Permission from the owner of the photo, and
    • Permission from the living individuals depicted, especially if they are identified or easily inferred from context.
  • If an objection is raised to a published photo, it will be removed until the matter is resolved.
  • Images may be labeled “Photo Courtesy of…” or “Used with Permission” to indicate compliance.

Private Family Trees

  • Registered members may request the creation of a Private Family Tree linked to their ancestral line.
  • These trees are visible only to:
    • The requester,
    • Approved family members, and
    • Site administrators (for maintenance purposes).
  • These trees are never visible to the public or general site visitors.

Forum Access (Currently Closed)

  • As of August 2025, the LookingBackwards.net community forum is closed.
  • If reopened in the future, all registered users will be notified via email.
  • Forum participation is governed by rules of etiquette, privacy, and safety (see “Using the Forum” section).

User Content

You retain ownership of all information, photos, and documents you submit. By submitting material:

  • You grant LookingBackwards.net permission to access, store, reformat, and display the material only as necessary to provide genealogical and archival services.
  • We will not publish your content for commercial or promotional purposes without your explicit permission.
  • We reserve the right to remove content that is deemed harmful, inaccurate, or in violation of community standards.

Backups

We perform regular backups of the site, including genealogy data and user-contributed materials. In the event of data loss, we will restore content to the most recent secure state available.

Links to External Resources

We may link to outside resources for reference or convenience. This does not imply endorsement or guarantee accuracy. Do not rely on third-party links without verifying their authenticity.

Using the Forum

If/when the Forum is reopened, the following rules apply:

  • Treat others respectfully.
  • English is the only language permitted for discussion.
  • No spam or irrelevant advertising posts.
  • No excessive ALL CAPS or red text (reserved for moderators).
  • Keep images below 800×600 pixels.
  • Do not post inappropriate, illegal, or explicit content.
  • Insulting or harassing behavior will result in immediate removal.

These rules are in place to maintain a welcoming and productive community environment.

Changes and Amendments

We reserve the right to update these Terms and Conditions at any time. Major updates will be posted on the website homepage and/or sent via email to registered users.

Continued use of the site constitutes your acceptance of the latest version.

Acceptance of Terms

By registering or continuing to use the site, you agree to:

  • Abide by these Terms and Conditions.
  • Respect the privacy of others.
  • Use the content solely for personal, genealogical, or academic purposes.

If you do not agree to these terms, you should discontinue use of the site.

Contacting Us

If you have questions about your account, registration, data access, or privacy rights, please use the Contact Us form on the website.