The Morley Y-DNA Project ("we", "this website", "this project", "the project administrators", "morleydna.com", "our", "us") is a non-profit project that collects personal information from our participants ("you", "your") in the regular course of operating a website, doing research, and helping you compare your Morley Y-DNA data with other participants. This document answers some of your most frequently asked questions, and lets you know how we are protecting the information you entrust to us.

What personal information does this service collect about you?

When you register and/or contact us, we collect the following information about you:

• Morley Y-DNA sequencing results, which we access through the FTDNA Morley project, or which you have shared by other means.
• We do not deal with DNA samples, only the results of Y-DNA sequencing -- from labs operated by other companies.
• Our Terms of Use prohibit participants from posting sensitive information to the public-facing areas of this website.
• This service analyses Y-DNA results, including Y-DNA results arising "next-generation" Y-DNA sequencing.
• The data that we receive generally does not contain any medically relevant data; Y-DNA testing companies typically filter out medically relevant information. Despite these efforts, some medically relevant information -- particularly information relevant to male fertility -- may slip through their filtering process.
• You should recognise that the most advanced Y-DNA sequencing offerings are so comprehensive that they have the potential to genetically identify a male individual or his immediate patrilineal family.
• Autosomal sequencing results for Morley descendants, which we access through the FTDNA Morley project, or you have shared by other means.

Unless you have sent the data to us outside of the usual channels, we do not see your raw autosomal data. This is for your protection, because raw autosomal data can be used to deduce your identity or your health.

• Your morleydna.com account password.

Our account database stores passwords in an encrypted format, meaning that we are not able to see your actual password.

• Your username, and possibly your real name
• Your email address.
• Your posts on the morleydna.com forums
• Ancestral information, provided by you and/or researched by us

This includes information provided through the registration questionnaire, and the Morley Y-DNA Interactive Surname Map

• Our correspondence, either through this website or through other channels
• Your registration questionnaire

This is only accessible by the project administrators

• Your contact form messages.

This is only accessible by the project administrators

When you visit our website, we also collect the following usage statistics, using our own logs and scripts supplied by open-source web analytics packages:

• Information about your computer, including your IP address, the type of operating system and browser you use, and your computer’s location.
• What pages you visit on our site and what links you click on.
• Which website brought you to morleydna.com

We do not collect financial information; your payments go to the DNA testing company, not us.

If you donate money, the financial details go to the DNA testing company or Paypal. Those third parties may share your name, email address or postal address with us, but not your financial details.

How does this project use this information?

We collect and use the personal and genetic information because it was volunteered by you for historical, statistical and scientific purposes.

• Specifically, we collect and process this data in order to determine if/how your Morleys relate to other Morleys, to connect you with others with similar Morley interests, and to show how your Morley Y-DNA signature differs from others in your patrilineal genetic neighbourhood.

We do not disclose your name, address, email or genetic specifics without your explicit permission. Before your permission is obtained, we will only discuss your identity and genetic results in general terms (e.g., "a Morley belonging to [Morley family group] has done Y-DNA testing and belongs to [broad Y-DNA classification]", or "we are in contact with another person interested in Morleys from [place]/[lineage]").

From time to time you may receive email notifications of activity on the project forum. The website allows you to change your notification settings, or disable these notifications entirely. If there is something relevant to the running of this project which all registered users should know, the project administrator will notify you by email, regardless of your forum notification settings.

We collect and process usage statistics because we have a legitimate interest:

• To understand how our website and services can be made better.
• To monitor and defend against website misuse.
• To understand our project's audience.
• To understand how our research and data are being used.

What information about me will other members of this website see?

Any information you volunteer through the Morley Y-DNA Project forums and/or pages associated with the Interactive Surname Map.

What do you need to do to keep your information secure?

You are responsible for keeping your contact email account active and secure. If somebody compromises your email account then they can use that to gain access to your morleydna.com account.
Choose a secure password for your morleydna.com account. Do not share your morleydna.com account password with anybody, and do not reuse that password on another website.

How does this project get my consent?

When you provide us with personal information in order for us to assist you with tracing your Morley ancestry and/or analysing your Morley DNA data, you are giving consent for us to use that data for those purposes.

How is my information stored?

morleydna.com uses a leading content management system. We strive to act on any security advisories in a timely manner. Your password is stored in an encrypted format. All sensitive information is transmitted over an encrypted protocol.

How long is genetic information stored?

This is a long-term project, so there is no limit on the time we will hold and archive the genetic data provided by Morley descendants.

How do I opt out?

You must contact us if you no longer wish for us to use your genetic data.

Cookie policy

Cookies are files with small amount of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a website and stored on your computer’s hard drive, for later access by a website or its affiliated websites.

This website requires first-party cookies to keep track of your login status and account preferences. Analytics scripts provided by external web analytics services may also set cookies. They honour your web browser's Do Not Track feature.

Users under the age of majority

You must be at or above your country's age of majority in order to use this website, or you must have permission from your parent/guardian. If you are the parent/guardian of an underage user, please contact the project using the link below.

What if this policy changes?

We reserve the right to unilaterally modify this privacy policy. Updates will be posted at morleydna.com

Contact us