New Ancestry.com Feature Warns Users When They Might Want To Stop Sticking Noses Where They Don’t Belong

LEHI, UT—In an effort to provide a safe experience for website visitors hoping to learn about their heritage, a new Ancestry.com feature released Tuesday warns users when they might want to stop sticking their noses where they don’t belong. “You need to stop right here and consider whether you really want to know about this part of the family tree,” read one pop-up notification, part of a new feature that an Ancestry.com spokesperson confirmed was intended to prevent users from spending the rest of their lives reckoning with some horrific knowledge about their family’s past. “Before you continue, just keep in mind that sometimes when you start digging, you don’t know where it will lead. You can keep looking, of course, but we just want to make clear that there are some skeletons in your family’s closet, and maybe it’s better not to pry. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, don’t you think? So go on now, look for your past somewhere else. Leave this one alone.” The new feature is reportedly just one of several additional safeguards Ancestry.com has rolled out recently, including one that requires users to pay several thousand dollars for particularly unsavory information in order to show that they’re serious and understand the consequences.