The Fickleness & Pettiness of Findagrave Moderators

AI Portrait of Lt. Presley O'Bannon

Two days ago (Monday, August 11, 2025), I noticed something I found particularly distasteful that Findagrave moderators have done to me:  They have apparently removed all of the AI-generated portraits I had previously uploaded to the Findagrave Memorials I manage and/or sponsor, as well as to Memorials I do not manage or sponsor, such as the one in honor of U.S. Marine Corps Presley Neville O'Bannon. 

This is upsetting, because it makes me feel as if trying to improve the memorials I manage is a waste of my time.

 Furthermore, their application of their rules seems willy-nilly.  On July 21, 2025, I received an e-mail from no-reply@findagrave.com, which thanked me for an AI-generated portrait which I had uploaded to the Findagrave Memorial of my first cousin five times removed, U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant O'Bannon, whose expedition "to the shores of Tripoli" is memorialized in "The Marines' Hymn."

Presley & Eleanor

 It also indicated that the photo had been approved, which was, apparently, necessary, because, since he is regarded as a notable person, his Memorial is managed by "Find a Grave." I followed a link in the e-mail to his Memorial, and found that my AI-generated portrait was indeed on display there.

Apparently, without notification, that decision has been repealed. That portrait (above right) is gone, as well as every AI-generated portrait I had posted, which I've been looking up today, including the one above left, which I had posted on my three times great-grandmother, Eleanor O'Bannon's Memorial.

Here's a better one. 

After Googling Findagrave's policy regarding AI images, I discovered that they are no longer allowed.

Another thing Findagrave's moderators have done which bothers me, is that they took away, without warning or notification, my management of their Memorial for my first cousin once removed, Donna Edith (Smith) Packer. At first, they removed the biography I had created for it. then they posted it, with my name still on it. As of tonight, it's still online.  

Another policy they have which infuriates me, is that they limit relatives' rights to claim their Memorials to great-grandparents/children or closer. They reprimanded me, via e-mail, for requesting the Memorial for my great-great-grandfather, Luke Wright Osborn, even though the person managing his Memorial did not claim to be related to him at all! 

 

Another thing I dislike about Findagrave is that they only allow links to Findagrave pages in the biographies volunteers post on their memorials. I'm able to hyperlink my name as the author of a Findagrave biography, to my Findagrave profile page; I can also hyperlink the names of relatives mentioned in my Findagrave biographies to their Findagrave memorials, but Findagrave does not allow me to post links to Familysearch or Wikitree profiles of the same people, or any other non-Findagrave webpages. There is one exception to this. I am allowed to hyperlink one non-Findagrave webpage from the Home Page that I list on my Findagrave profile.