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Have you ever been arrested? Chances are, your mugshot and arrest details are still searchable on the web. This may have you wondering how to remove your mugshots and clean up your online reputation.
Most people Google themselves from time to time. And when they do, over half say that the search results are not positive. If you’re among them and want to know how to get your mugshots off Google, Bing, Yahoo, or other search engines, there are a few things to understand about having your mugshot removed.
Search engines don’t randomly select ranking.
Site rankings are influenced by several factors, including page traffic, authority, and trust. This can be very unsettling for anyone with even a minor web presence. In each case, a Google search combs the web for references to a name or other keyword. This allows it to locate results that best answer to each user’s question.
Most sites won’t remove your mugshot “just because.”
Many mugshot sites may remove mugshots only after you provide official documents proving your innocence.
While there are third-party removal service providers, many of these companies do not always deliver on their promises to get your search results cleaned up — usually because their methods for cheap removal services don’t work.
Short of hiring an attorney or seeking legal advice from an experienced lawyer, you may struggle to discover the best ways to get your mugshot removed from websites that post it.
Thankfully, if you want to remove a mugshot online, the procedure is pretty direct. It may take a few steps, but with a little assistance from our removal experts, you can clean up your online presence, delete mugshot photos or your booking photo, and improve your reputation.
Popularity of Mugshot Websites
Commonly, businesses or people looking to profit from sharing and selling personal records or criminal records are who own mugshot sites. As a result, mugshot websites have become very popular. Capturing well-known individuals who may have an embarrassing arrest record drives traffic to gossip sites.
We see newscasters do this every day. They report about the most recent superstar getting a DUI for public drunkenness or a popular athlete getting in trouble for domestic violence. Online arrest records and criminal records are ideal for publicizing the missteps of your favorite celebrities.
But while it can be amusing when a powerful person lands in a bad position, when this starts to happen to everybody, the tables rapidly turn.
Removal Websites Love This Myth
Many websites claim to help individuals remove mugshots from the web. Unfortunately, most of these third-party sites charge high prices to employ the very same tactics you have access to — free removal processes that you can do on your own. As such, many of these sites fail to deliver on their promises, further draining your wallet.
An arrest record online can interfere with your ability to rent a house or capitalize on new business options. Mugshot results can even eliminate employment opportunities.
While an attorney can help you navigate the law associated with eliminating unflattering online search results, it pays to hire a company that understands the details of reputation management. Even if you have had your case sealed, your criminal case dropped or your record expunged, removal from many websites is all but impossible without the appropriate expertise.
How To Contact Website Owners
Before you get into contacting Google or taking legal action, try getting in touch with website owners to see if they’ll remove your information on their own.
This is the easiest solution, and if you find people who are willing to take down your info, it’s the smoothest way forward.
Additionally, the online reputation experts at NetReputation offer a mugshot analysis completely free of charge. This is when we browse over 500 mugshot websites in search of your criminal record and to find where your mugshot appears. Your dedicated reputation advisor will email you all of your options for your review.
NetReputation’s online reputation management services are backed by over a decade of experience when it comes to removing unwanted content online. In addition, our team provides a mugshot takedown service that is hands-down the fastest, most efficient way to erase your name and mugshots from Google results.
Identify the Websites
First, start by finding the mugshot sites that have your information. You may do so by searching for your name in Google along with the word “arrest.”
In many cases, booking photos and online arrest records are matters of public record and may appear on official websites in addition to sites that post unflattering images of those who have been arrested for a criminal act.
Finding your mugshot online is a fairly straightforward task. Head over to Google and enter the following queries:
- [Your Name] arrest
- [Your Name] mugshot
- [Your Name] [your location] arrest
- [Your Name] arrest
Replace the brackets and what’s within the brackets with your personal information. For example, John Smith Manhattan arrest.
You may also consider typing variations of your name into the Google search box. If your name is John H. Smith, you may try variations like:
- Spelling out your middle name
- J.H. Smith
- J. Smith
This can help you locate all the places online where your mugshot appears.
If you are struggling to find a mugshot, that’s a good sign. Still, continue to play around with search queries to make sure your information isn’t available. Key identifiers will help Google find your arrest records or other public records. Those include:
- Middle name
- Initials
- Nicknames
- Arresting location
If you are curious about the websites where your mugshot image is located and you need help with this process, please complete the form below. One of our knowledgeable reputation advisors will contact you within 24 hours.
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Keep Track of the Mugshot Sites
As you find your mugshots online, record each appearance in a spreadsheet. Just make sure you aren’t repeatedly typing your name and arrest into your favorite search engine, which could make it appear more prominently in search results.
As a general rule, Google — and nearly every other search engine — learns based on how many times you search for a certain item. This can often boost the ranking of that item on popular sites.
Making a spreadsheet allows you to avoid giving mugshot sites any extra visibility, especially when it comes to your personal information.
Find Contact Information
Next, find any contact info for the sites posting your mugshot. You can either locate this info on each site or by utilizing a Google extension like Hunter.io.
Some mugshot publication sites try to hide their contact information, making it difficult for visitors to figure out how to contact the site. The Hunter.io Google extension saves you time and frustration as you hunt for ways to make contact with publication sites.
Draft a Request
If you’re able to get the website owner’s contact information, reach out to them and remain polite. They have no obligation to remove mugshots, so asking nicely and explaining why you want your information removed is your best bet.
More often than not, the site owner (if they respond) will charge you a fee if you want to get mugshots removed.
Reply to their response by attaching any legal documents you have. Most sites will remove mugshot information granted you provide a valid expungement document.
Present Your Case to Remove Mugshots
If you’re looking for how to get your mugshot offline, the good news is that expelling mugshots from the web for free is possible. Unfortunately, this option is often available only when you provide sites with the correct court records or when you can prove your charges were dropped.
In other words, many sites will not voluntarily remove mugshots unless there is a compelling legal obligation, such as:
- A demand letter stating that the court deemed the arrest record or case records sealed
- Court records showing expungement or dropped charges
- A written notice from an attorney to remove mugshots and personal information from the website
Legal reasons may vary from state to state. For example, in Florida, individuals arrested for a crime can remove a mugshot by filing a written request via registered mail.
Not every state has a similar law; it’s critical to check your state law or consult an attorney for details on removing your mugshot online.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
When the straightforward tactic of contacting the website owner to ask that they remove your information doesn’t work, you’ll need to move on to more time-consuming options.
Privacy Laws and Rights
Generally speaking, individuals have a right to privacy. When personal information is disseminated without authorization, it may infringe upon those privacy rights.
It’s important to understand privacy law if you’re going to use this argument, which is why it’s best to hire an attorney. If basic solutions like asking for your mugshot to be removed don’t work, having an attorney advocate for you may be a necessary step.
Accuracy and Fairness
It’s important that websites post correct information online, and if your mugshot has inaccurate information, this may put you in a good position to request that it be taken down. Outdated or incorrect information that’s published online gives you both an ethical and legal basis for requesting removal.
This includes if your criminal record or arrest records have been expunged, as continuing to post it online as though it’s still in effect is providing outdated information.
Right To Be Forgotten
While this isn’t a law that’s recognized in the U.S., if you’re dealing with international websites, particularly those based in Europe, you may be able to invoke a “right to be forgotten” defense. This right means that, depending on the circumstances, you may be able to make search engines erase mugshots and remove links about you that discuss your past.
Google Policies for Removing Mugshots
Since you’ll be mainly dealing with Google when it comes to unwanted information online, it’s smart to familiarize yourself with the search engine’s policies for removing content.
Unfortunately, this is the tricky element of removing mugshots. If you are looking to remove mugshots from Google search results, you’ll first need to delete them from the site where it was initially posted.
It’s important to understand that Google won’t take down personal information simply because you ask. For example, Google won’t remove information it finds valuable to the public, like that on many business, education, government and news websites.
However, it’s possible that Google won’t consider your arrest records, criminal records, public records or other personal information to be of value to the public. In that case, they may consider your request and take it down.
We have an article about Easy Steps To Remove Personal Information From Google that goes into this topic more.
Online Reputation Monitoring and Follow-Up
Getting your personal information taken down once isn’t enough to ensure your online presence stays positive moving forward. Maintenance includes:
- Regularly checking search results for new mentions or updates to existing content
- Addressing any mugshots or personal information that appear online
- Being patient and persistent, as this process can take a long time
Dealing with your mugshot image online is a critical aspect of digital reputation management. These days, everybody turns to online search tools to find answers. Despite what you think you look like online, the real test is how you appear on major search platforms.
Your online footprint is part of your online reputation — and your offline reputation. What the web says about you affects not only your online image but also your entire life. If others locate negative information about you after doing a web search, a damaged reputation can prevent you from getting a job or expanding your business opportunities, and it can even create legal ramifications that are difficult to fix.
For that reason, it’s essential to know how you’re appearing online even after you’ve had mugshots removed from search engine results. It’s also important to ensure that prominent pages about you remain free of negative data. This also goes for the image results in search engines.
Wrapping Up
Here are some simple tips for how to get rid of your mugshot from the internet:
- Reach out to the proprietor(s) and respectfully ask that they take down your mugshot.
- Send your lawful expungement to their physical location and request they remove your files.
- Acquire copyrights on your picture and report a claim. You can contact your favorite search provider for information on filing a copyright claim on your images.
If you’ve done everything you can do on your own but you’re still not sure how to get mugshots removed, consider hiring online reputation experts.
Contact Us Today
Our online reputation management services will help you with everything you need to remove your mugshots.
Request a free consultation to learn more about our process and how we can help your specific situation. The experts at NetReputation have experience with removal law, and our process delivers the results you deserve.
After completing the contact form below, one of our knowledgeable mugshot specialists will connect with you as quickly as possible. You can also call us today at 844-461-3632. We’re ready to help you restore the reputation you have worked so hard for.
Request a Free Consultation
by Net Reputation