Effective and last reviewed: September 16, 2026
This policy explains how criminal-record.org/ may collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect information when you visit the website, contact us, or interact with site features. Because the site is primarily an editorial and navigation resource, we aim to collect no more personal information than reasonably necessary to operate, secure, measure, and improve the service.
Information you provide directly
If you email us, report a correction, submit feedback, or make a privacy request, we receive the information you choose to provide. This can include your email address, name, message, page URLs, source links, and attachments.
Please do not send Social Security numbers, complete financial account numbers, passwords, full identity-document scans, or other highly sensitive information in an ordinary email unless there is a specific and legitimate reason and an appropriate secure method has been arranged.
Technical information that may be collected automatically
Our hosting, security, content-delivery, analytics, consent, or advertising systems may process technical data such as:
- IP address;
- browser and operating-system information;
- device type and screen characteristics;
- requested page or URL;
- referring page or source;
- timestamps and approximate region derived from network information;
- cookie or consent preferences;
- performance, error, and diagnostic information; and
- security signals used to detect automated abuse or malicious traffic.
Why we use information
Information may be used to:
- deliver website pages and requested features;
- protect the website against spam, attacks, fraud, and abuse;
- diagnose technical errors and improve performance;
- measure aggregate readership and understand which guides are useful;
- remember consent or preference choices where applicable;
- respond to corrections, accessibility reports, and privacy requests;
- document editorial changes or recurring source problems;
- administer advertising or affiliate relationships if used; and
- comply with applicable legal obligations.
Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies are small files or identifiers used by websites and service providers. Similar technologies can include local storage, pixels, tags, and server-side identifiers. Depending on the features enabled on the site, we may use the following categories:
Strictly necessary and security technologies
These can support page delivery, load balancing, fraud prevention, bot detection, security, consent storage, and core functionality. Blocking them may cause parts of the website to stop working correctly.
Preference technologies
These may remember settings that improve the user experience, such as consent choices or display preferences.
Analytics technologies
Analytics may help us understand page views, navigation paths, device categories, performance, and aggregate engagement. We use this information to improve site structure and identify guides that need attention.
Advertising technologies
If advertising is enabled, advertising partners may use cookies or similar technologies for ad delivery, frequency control, measurement, fraud prevention, and—where permitted—personalization. Applicable consent or opt-out choices should be provided when required by law.
Your browser and consent controls
Most browsers allow users to delete or block cookies, limit third-party cookies, or clear stored site data. Those settings can affect functionality. Where a consent banner or privacy-choice tool is displayed on criminal-record.org/, use it to express the choices offered for nonessential technologies.
Global privacy signals and opt-out mechanisms
Some jurisdictions recognize browser-based opt-out signals or require a mechanism to opt out of certain advertising-related disclosures. Where such requirements apply to our practices, we intend to configure our consent and advertising systems to respect legally recognized choices.
Advertising and “sale” or “sharing” terminology
We do not operate a business whose purpose is selling the personal information that users submit in correction or contact messages. Some U.S. state privacy laws, however, define “sale” or “sharing” broadly enough that certain advertising or cross-context behavioral advertising activities can fall within those definitions. If our actual technology use creates an applicable opt-out right, we will provide the required control.
Service providers
We may use providers for hosting, content delivery, security, analytics, email, consent management, advertising, and other website functions. These providers may process information on our behalf or under their own terms, depending on the relationship and service.
External government and third-party websites
criminal-record.org/ links to many websites we do not operate. When you follow an external link, the destination's privacy policy and data practices apply. Government portals can require accounts, identity verification, payment, or additional data that we never receive.
We are not a private criminal-record dossier service
Our core editorial model is to guide users to official sources. We do not ask visitors to submit Social Security numbers, dates of birth, or identity profiles so that we can create private criminal-record dossiers about individuals.
Retention
We retain information for only as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, security and operational needs, legal obligations, dispute resolution, or documentation of editorial changes. Different systems can have different retention periods.
Security
We use reasonable administrative and technical measures appropriate to an informational website. No internet transmission, email system, server, or storage platform can be guaranteed completely secure. Users should avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information.
Children’s privacy
The site is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly request personal information from children under 13 through our editorial contact functions.
U.S. state privacy rights
Depending on where you live and whether a particular law applies to our operations, you may have rights such as access, correction, deletion, portability, or the ability to opt out of certain targeted advertising, sale, or sharing. Legal definitions, thresholds, exceptions, and verification requirements vary by state.
We evaluate verified requests under the law that applies to the request and to our actual data practices. This policy does not promise a right that does not apply under a particular law.
Privacy requests
Send privacy questions or requests to contact@criminal-record.org with “Privacy Request” in the subject line. Describe the request and the information or interaction involved. Do not attach sensitive identity documents in your first message. If verification is required, we will explain what is needed.
Email communications
If you contact us, we may reply to your message and retain the conversation as needed to resolve the request or document an editorial change. We do not treat a correction email as permission to add you to promotional marketing.
Changes to this policy
We will update this policy when our technology, vendors, advertising practices, or legal obligations materially change. The date at the top shows the latest review.