Mugshots have played an important part in our society by keeping the public and police informed of who to look out for, but how much is too much?

 In recent years, mugshot websites have increasingly become a problem and many people are starting to take notice.

How Are Mugshots Posted

When an individual is arrested, their booking information including their mugshot is uploaded onto the police database.

Proper record-keeping helps authorities make informed decisions that run our government. Not only is the information available to the government but to the general public as well.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the Freedom of Information Act, which allowed anybody to request information from any government agency as long as it didn’t violate one of the nine exemptions.

This was made in order to maintain a transparent relationship between the government and its citizens. Mugshot websites abuse this power and in doing so decide to collect, republish, and profit off of people’s personal information by charging mugshot removal fees.

Because mugshot websites proactively expose people’s private information, an individual’s unwanted mugshot can appear on the internet in a matter of seconds.

People struggling with negative online mugshots have a harder time landing better jobs and education opportunities. How do we stop this?

Erasing Your Online Mugshot

Mugshot Laws

States like Utah and Georgia have already implemented aggressive laws against mugshot websites.

Depending on the state’s laws, if an arrestee falls under certain criteria and is eligible to have their mugshot removed, mugshot websites might be required to clear your mugshot listing off of their site or else face legal punishment.

Some laws even set limitation on how much mugshot websites must charge. Before, arrestees may have to pay hundreds of dollars to have their mugshot removed, but in cases like Georgia mugshot websites can’t charge more than $50.

Check your state’s mugshot laws and see whether these cases can apply to you!

The Traditional Way

If you don’t live in a state that has strict mugshot laws, then the best way to remove mugshots is to crawl the internet and identify each website that has your mugshot.

After, you will then want to get in contact with an appropriate website representative and ask to submit a mugshot removal request.

Note that each website is different and may have a longer removal process. What’s important to note is that you want to efficiently remove your mugshot off of the internet as soon as possible.

The longer you wait, the more likely your mugshot will spread and be in the hands of others.

Make sure to follow up with the websites to ensure that your mugshot has been removed properly.

Online Reputation Company

Many people who have a hard time managing their online reputation work with online reputation companies.

With years of experience, they provide their clients with an attentive team of digital experts that will execute your needs in a timely manner.

Regain control of your reputation and stop it from holding your life back.