archiveteam.org
 

A cautionary tale, which one of my Cornwall OPC colleagues has given me permission to share with you:

"My Somerset based groups on Yahoo are currently having a huge problem with a group of Archivers - Archiveteam.org - who are attempting to join each of the groups to archive the files and photographs. All of these groups were Private and Restricted. Files and photographs were donated in good faith.

Whilst I don't object to files and information being made freely available to researchers (I wouldn't be a long time member of this Project if I did!) I DO object to my work being harvested by some unknown random group who then SELL it to people to search. (Bit like Ancestry really, but don't start me off about that one)

I had a dispute recently with a researcher who had downloaded one of my Somerset files, edited it with his idiotic transcriptions then re-uploaded it. Those idiotic transcriptions are now being distributed with my name on them.

Just a word of warning really about how, and to where, we distribute our files and information."

There is some info about them on here:
https://www.archiveteam.org/index.ph...=Yahoo!_Groups

I think the reason they are doing this is because the Yahoo Groups' content was being removed and so the data on there would no longer be available. According to Wikipedia, all content posted to Yahoo Groups was due to be deleted on 31 Jan 2020.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo!_Groups

I would log into one of the groups that I belong to, to see whether all the content has actually been deleted, but I can never remember my username or password!

Yes, my contact said everything was manic because the YAHOO groups were closing down.

I can understand information being gathered but it is what you do with it which is the issue.
Also, if contributors wanted information to be private and restricted it seems totally against the Ts & Cs to use items such as photos, etc.