>> Ответ на
сообщение пользователя
Alexander G от 25 июня 2026 9:07
Вот кстати запрос:
Dear Mike
Since yesterday, I haven't been able to access Geni from Russia using Russian IP addresses. The system reports that I'm engaging in some kind of suspicious activity here. This isn't true, as I operate exclusively by Geni's rules and don't engage in any suspicious activity. I don't think it's a big secret that, due to recent events, some Westerners have a rather negative attitude toward Russia and its residents, regardless of their stance on the country's current policies. This is even reflected in our work—for example, in restrictions on myHeritage for Russian users.
I've currently entered a large amount of information into your service, including newly created profiles and a lot of clarifying information on profiles created by other users.
Other Russian users have contributed even more valuable work to the site. For example, those living in Russia, having access to Russian archives, have contributed a large amount of information concerning the ancestors of individuals living in other countries, including the United States, Israel, and Europe, who have ancestors from the Russian Empire, but not have ability to access to Russian archives, sources, including languages and .
Working with family trees and documents is a lot of work. So, we handed over the fruits of our labor to you, and you simply appropriated them, yet you're blocking us. I understand that you're businessmen. But still, this seems somehow unfair (I sincerely wouldn't use the word "immoral"). (Reputational risks, as we know, can also significantly impact businesses—for example, the recent Starbucks scandal in Korea.)
In light of the above, I would like to clearly decide what I and other users in Russia should do next: continue using your fundamentally unique, excellent, and user-friendly service, or make some other decisions.
Therefore, please answer the following questions and clarify geni's official position:
1) Do you prohibit the use of geni by Russian users with IP addresses, even users with free accounts that are identified as Russian (as is the case with Myheritage, which is owned by the same company). Or are there no such restrictions (for reference, the Terms of Use currently do not clearly indicate any restrictions for Russia).
2) If the use of geni by Russian users with Russian IP addresses is currently prohibited, are you establishing or planning any bans or restrictions on the use of VPN services and other services that allow access to your service from Russia?
You previously (some 2 years ago) already told me that you had no plans to restrict Russian users at that time.
Please provide clear and comprehensive answers so that a definitive decision can be made, rather than the usual excuses and politically-styled replies.
For the note - sooner or later, the war will end, and sanctions against Russia will likely be relaxed or lifted to the point that Russian users will be able to use Geni again with the advanced features provided by a paid subscription. I know that many Russian users have left and stopped using your service precisely because of the sanctions. Do you want to lose old and potential new Russian users, such a potentially large market?
Sincerely,
Dmitry
Прекрасно понятно, что ответ строго выверенный и политически корректный - их компания же не в вакууме работает, а в конкретной юрисдикции, со своими писанными и неписанными правилами...
(хотя я конечно просил "Please provide clear and comprehensive answers so that a definitive decision can be made, rather than the usual excuses and politically-styled replies.")
У myheritage эта страница "Access denied" уже полтора года висит: "ближайшие недели" - понятие растяжимое.
Но в принципе, хотя бы что-то - они сделали вид, что "ответили", мы сделаем вид, что "поверим".
В принципе, в ответе содержится возможность "сдать назад", "вернуться", правда сколько для этого понадобится времени - понятно, что неизвестно.
Мы же вот "верим", что нам вещают с 2022 года)
Ну не хлопать же дверью и удалять все данные? Многие активно-работающие пользователи уже действительно так глубоко повязли в дереве, что удалив данные, сделаешь плохо не geni, а именно другим, добросовестным, пользователям, со-авторам, коллегам. (Да и удалить данные уже не так просто, когда профили взаимосвязаны с другими).
Поэтому лично я наверное все же не буду удалять то, что там "натворил". Правда, с учетом тормознутости впн-ов и параллельной работы по индексации источников, скорость работы все равно уже сильно снизилась.
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