Mugshot site
A website that republishes arrest photographs and charges, often alongside a paid removal offer.
In more detail
Mugshot sites scrape booking records from sheriff and police websites and republish them with the person's name, making them highly searchable. Many then sell removal. A number of states have outlawed charging for mugshot removal, and payment processors have restricted the trade.
Why it matters to you
An arrest is not a conviction, and these sites frequently publish charges that were dropped or dismissed. The photograph outranks everything else for your name.
What to do
Do not pay a mugshot site. Check whether your state prohibits pay-for-removal, and pursue removal on that basis plus a Google delisting request.
- Expungement
A court order restricting or destroying the government's record of a criminal case.
- Google Results about you
Google's tool for requesting removal of search results that expose your contact details.
- People-search site
A consumer-facing website that publishes a searchable profile of a named individual.