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An image circulated on Facebook in the beginning of January 2017. This image cautioned the law enforcement officers that a specific website has allowed criminals to view the personal information of police officers for various purposes. This alert was posted on (Survive the Streets) a Facebook page and it is being used for Cops with the following alerts. It is correct that the website “FamilyTreeNow.com” is allowing its users to find out a person by entering first & last name. The website gathers information regarding the requested name of person from public records. The website provides search results according to the given information, such as month & year of birth, age and former & current addresses.

It is important that all these services are being provided free of charge. But, the claim was specifically regarding the law enforcement officers. We have found that this website doesn’t targeting only the law enforcement members. But, any user who knew specific information regarding a specific police officer can receive more information regarding the person. Point to be noted that this website was launched in 2014 with the specific purpose of free genealogy search tool. It is not the only website to harvest personal information for the public use. There are various other websites that are providing similar type of services, such as Spokeo and Intelius. But, you will find less information on these free searching websites. Some websites such as Lexis allows searching to its users with paid subscriptions.