California Mugshot Removal

California has taken a pretty powerful stance to protect against mugshot removal websites. The California attorney general Becerra has indicted four men in association with running Mugshots.com and UnpublishArrests. The charges include money laundering, extortion, and identity theft. The California DA characterized it as a company permeated with fraud, with the site owners organizing businesses in the West Indies, setting up their domain in Belize, and hosting their blog in Australia.

The four men were extradited to California to deal with their criminal charges. They also face sustained lawsuits in Illinois. The case is pending in the Northern District of Illinois.

The California law was enacted in August 2015. Senate Bill 1027 took effect on January 1, 2015, and prohibits websites from publishing arrest photos then charging you a fee to take them down. It’s unlawful to receive compensation to correct or update them as well. There are no limitations on the access to the arrest information by news associations and interested persons. Generally, there are fines for disobeying the California legislation but regrettably, it does almost nothing to individuals that wish to reprint the information internet.

There are fines for disobeying the California Law but unfortunately does nothing for individuals that wish to reprint the information online. The simple fact of publishing the information online can leave individuals branded by a mugshot scammer which can be just as personally damaging as an actual conviction.

Image Removal Analysis