Free weekend access Newspapers.com

[Althea7]

I just tried the lost my password option, and got a page that said this page is lost or can't be found.  So I can't sign in any more either, and they have my personal information that I can't delete or change.

I contacted the Information Commissioners Office, who told me to email their data controller Ancestry on dpo@Ancestry.com and if they don't reply or do anything then to make a formal complaint on a form at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/your-personal-information-concerns/

I have emailed dpo@Ancestry.com and will wait to see of they reply at all or do anything or make things worse.

[Nick_Ips]

Sorry it is beyond nasty to ask for my card payment details, as I have never given them these, have never had an account with them, all I did was use my email address to try to send a one paragraph document to myself.

Just for info, it has become quite common for even reputable companies to ask for payment card details as a method of identifying an individual, even if no payment is to be taken from that card.

Personally I usually avoid giving card details (and most other personal information) at all costs - but sometimes it is the only way of making progress with organisations that have their own rules (and laws) they have to comply with.

I feel very badly shaken by how they have behaved.  I wouldn't have believed a big company could behave so badly. After Newspaper.com's email yesterday demanding my card payment details before they could do anything they haven't replied to my reply that I only want to be able to delete the account I never created or change the email address that I never gave to them.

There's a risk of sorting this out being more difficult than it needs to be if confusion over what the actual problem is leads to Newspapers.com tech people trying to solve a different problem to the one which exists.

You do have an account, and you must have given them your email address, otherwise they couldn't have used it in the way you described earlier.

If you are telling them to delete an account you don't have, linked to an email they shouldn't know, then they are going to get confused as to what you are asking for.  Furthermore, saying you didn't give them your email address may make them think someone else has been using it to falsely set up an account, raising questions over who is controling the account and paradoxically increasing their need to get verification of your ID (e.g. by taking card details) before they can do anything.

I'd suggest the best approach is to say you didn't realise that giving them your email address would result in an account being created, and can they please delete the account and all information linked to it.  If you check their privacy policy it does seem that is something they can do.

[Althea7]

Sorry it is beyond nasty to ask for my card payment details, as I have never given them these, have never had an account with them, all I did was use my email address to try to send a one paragraph document to myself.

Just for info, it has become quite common for even reputable companies to ask for payment card details as a method of identifying an individual, even if no payment is to be taken from that card.

Personally I usually avoid giving card details (and most other personal information) at all costs - but sometimes it is the only way of making progress with organisations that have their own rules (and laws) they have to comply with.

I feel very badly shaken by how they have behaved.  I wouldn't have believed a big company could behave so badly. After Newspaper.com's email yesterday demanding my card payment details before they could do anything they haven't replied to my reply that I only want to be able to delete the account I never created or change the email address that I never gave to them.

There's a risk of sorting this out being more difficult than it needs to be if confusion over what the actual problem is leads to Newspapers.com tech people trying to solve a different problem to the one which exists.

You do have an account, and you must have given them your email address, otherwise they couldn't have used it in the way you described earlier.

If you are telling them to delete an account you don't have, linked to an email they shouldn't know, then they are going to get confused as to what you are asking for.  Furthermore, saying you didn't give them your email address may make them think someone else has been using it to falsely set up an account, raising questions over who is controling the account and paradoxically increasing their need to get verification of your ID (e.g. by taking card details) before they can do anything.

I'd suggest the best approach is to say you didn't realise that giving them your email address would result in an account being created, and can they please delete the account and all information linked to it.  If you check their privacy policy it does seem that is something they can do.

I just had a look at what that dpo means, Data Protection Officer.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/data-protection-officer-dpo.asp

Ancestry's privacy page has links regarding deleting information that don't work.  If Ancestry's Data Protection Officer doesn't reply, doesn't reply within a reasonable time, or demands my payment

[Nick_Ips]

There is no way I trust Newspapers.com with my financial information.

I just had a look at what that dpo means, Data Protection Officer.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/data-protection-officer-dpo.asp

Ancestry's privacy page has links regarding deleting information that don't work.  If Ancestry's Data Protection Officer doesn't reply, doesn't reply within a reasonable time, or demands my payment details just to delete this account then I need to take some big steps to protect myself from them.

One of the roles of a DPO is to ensure that systems are in place so only the 'owner' of data is allowed to make requests which involve processing it.  There have to be safeguards in place so random strangers cannot make requests such as changing passwords and deleting accounts (potentially maliciously).

You could be going round in circles with the DPO for some time.

Ancestry are a large company and have a decent reputation. So long as you are dealing with them - not a spoof site - then you already have a lot of consumer protections.  You shouldn't be unduly alarmed.  I'm sure you will get it sorted out, but you may have to accept them following their procedures.

[Althea7]

I feel very, very upset and want nothing to do with any family history companies ever again. 

[Erato]

Good luck.  Next time, use the clipper tool which makes it very easy to save an article to your computer.

I held out to the bitter end and got about 150 articles, some of them excellent.  I didn't find everything I was looking for but, over all, it was a good haul.  If I never read another letter to the editor about the name change of Merritt's landing to Endeavor, I'll be happy - hopefully, I've plumbed the bottom of that controversy.

[Althea7]

Good luck.  Next time, use the clipper tool which makes it very easy to save an article to your computer.

I had never heard of Newspapers.com before Sunday, when I spent a few hours at the end of their free weekend there.  It took me a while to work out how to use their clipper tool.  I did work out how to use it, but only after the damage to my personal data was done.

This has very quickly escalated into a nightmare.  I don't trust any of these companies now.

[Chris Doran]

Sorry to hear that your dream of getting some family imformation turned into a nightmare.

I don't know about newspapers.com, but typically, when you sign up to a site (willingly) you get an e-mail with a link to click on to confirm you meant it and to enter a password. Check your Inbox and Spam Box. The message often tells you what to do if it wasn't you, which may be an address to report it, or just an instruction to ignore it. There is usually a deadline after which I guess the account just goes away.

I hope the nightmare does the same soon

[Althea7]

Sorry to hear that your dream of getting some family imformation turned into a nightmare.

I don't know about newspapers.com, but typically, when you sign up to a site (willingly) you get an e-mail with a link to click on to confirm you meant it and to enter a password. Check your Inbox and Spam Box. The message often tells you what to do if it wasn't you, which may be an address to report it, or just an instruction to ignore it. There is usually a deadline after which I guess the account just goes away.

I hope the nightmare does the same soon

Thanks for this reply.  I did just re-check my email inbox and spam box, though as it is my personal email address which is important for my real life I notice everything that comes into it.  There is nothing there from Newspapers.com.  They have been so unethical I don't think this "account" will go away on its own, I wish it would.