Remove mugshots across several sites and background checks
Guide · Updated October 31, 2026
When booking photos appear on several sites, or there is more than one arrest, the work to remove mugshots becomes a project. Organization is what makes it manageable.
This guide covers a simple tracking system and how background checks for jobs and housing fit in.
A tracking system
Keep one sheet with the site, page link, arrest date, case outcome, removal route, request date, response and recheck date. Group pages that copy each other, since removing the source can affect copies.
Mugshot sites and Google's exploitative removal policy
Google has a policy for content on sites with exploitative removal practices. In general, Google will consider removing a URL from its search results when all of these are true: you are the subject of the content, the site is not a business review site, and the site requires payment to remove the content.
That last condition matters. If a mugshot site removes records for free, this specific policy may not apply, and the better path is the site's own removal process or the legal options in your state. If you do file, include the URLs, screenshots and an explanation of the payment demand.
Removal from Google results does not delete the page from the site itself, and copies on other sites need their own requests.
Background checks
Employment background screening companies are consumer reporting agencies under federal law. If a report includes inaccurate or incomplete information, you can dispute it with the screening company, which generally must reinvestigate within thirty days. An employer that plans to act on a report generally must give you a copy and a summary of your rights first. Federal law also limits reporting of some older arrests that did not lead to conviction, with exceptions.
State laws and the site's own process
A number of states have passed laws that limit websites charging fees to remove booking photos, and some require free removal in certain situations, such as when charges were dismissed or a record was sealed. The details differ by state and change over time.
- Read the site's own removal or correction page and note exactly what it asks for.
- Gather court documents that show the outcome of the case, such as a dismissal, acquittal or sealing order.
- Keep a record of every request and response, including any request for payment.
- Ask a licensed attorney in your state whether a state law applies to your situation before relying on it.
Be careful with services that charge to remove listings from sites they may be connected to. Ask any provider directly how they get results and whether they have any relationship with the sites involved.
After a record is expunged or sealed
An expungement or sealing order changes the official court record, but it does not automatically reach every website that copied the record earlier. Follow-up is usually needed:
- Get certified or official copies of the order, and keep digital copies.
- Make a list of where the old record still appears: background check companies, people-search sites, mugshot sites and news results.
- Contact each site through its correction or removal process and provide the order where the site asks for documentation.
- For consumer reporting agencies, use the dispute process under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Agencies generally must investigate disputes, typically within 30 days.
- Once a page has changed or been removed, use Google's outdated content request to update stale search results.
What an order allows you to say on applications, and which agencies can still see the record, depends on your state's law. A licensed attorney can explain your specific order.
How people-search opt-outs generally work
People-search and data-broker sites compile public records, marketing data and other sources into profiles. Most offer an opt-out process, but each site runs its own, and the steps change over time.
- Search for yourself on the major people-search sites and save the URL of each profile you find.
- Find each site's opt-out or privacy request page. It is often linked in the footer.
- Submit the request with the minimum information the site needs to find your record. Consider using a separate email address for these requests.
- Complete any email or phone verification step, and record the date and confirmation.
- Check again after a few weeks. Profiles can reappear when a site refreshes its data, and the same data is often sold to several sites.
Opting out of one site does not remove the information from the public records it came from, and it does not affect other sites that hold copies.
Legal note: this guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws and platform policies change and vary by state. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Getting help
Many of these steps you can take yourself. If you would like someone to look at your situation with you and suggest a plan, you can book a paid consultation. This is a paid consultation: price confirmed when scheduling. No payment is taken on this site. We do not guarantee that any review, article, listing or search result will be removed.