A few days ago the company inexplicably withdrew details of the National Archives reference numbers for entries that were given in the preview screen following the initial free search. These references included piece numbers and item numbers that allowed for cross-referencing searches to be carried out, to check for other members of the household in order to make sure that the right household is obtained. Despite removing the details from the preview screen, FindmyPast still does makes the same information available for such entries elsewhere, which can still be utilised on the search screen itself via the very search boxes that FindmyPast actually offers to carry out such searches in the first place:
Although FindmyPast and the National Archives have yet to officially comment, I have been informed informally that the information has been withdrawn from the preview screens to prevent data mining, which is in breach of FindmyPast's terms and conditions. It has been suggested by my source that my blog posts on this issue may possibly constitute incitement to cause data mining. This was never my intent, which was actually to help people save money by utilising as much information in advance to confirm a correct household was found before a purchase. However, whilst perhaps being overly cautious, to protect myself legally from any potential accusation on that front, I am withdrawing this information from my blog posts.
I would suggest that any questions about the competence of FindmyPast concerning the provision of such information online in the first place, and its lack of communication to date for its reasons for the sudden unannounced change in its policy, should perhaps be better directed towards them.
Chris
For details on my genealogy guide books, including my recently released Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. My Pinterest account is at https://www.pinterest.com/chrismpaton/.
