Last reviewed: September 16, 2026
criminal-record.org/ may earn revenue from advertising, sponsorships, or affiliate relationships. Revenue can help support research, hosting, technical maintenance, link checking, and continued updating of location-specific guides. Commercial relationships, however, must remain distinguishable from the official-source information our readers came to find.
Our core rule
A paid or commercial service is not an official source merely because it appears on this website. Courts, state agencies, sheriffs, corrections departments, and other government sources should be identified based on authority and relevance—not based on compensation.
Affiliate relationships
An affiliate link is a commercial link that may result in compensation to the publisher when a reader takes a qualifying action. If criminal-record.org/ has a material financial relationship connected to a recommendation or link, the relationship should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously enough for a reasonable reader to understand that compensation may occur.
FTC disclosure principles
The Federal Trade Commission’s Endorsement Guides and related guidance explain that material connections that could affect the weight or credibility a consumer gives an endorsement should be disclosed, and that disclosures should be clear and conspicuous. The FTC has also specifically explained that disclosures for affiliate relationships should be placed close enough to the recommendation or link that readers can notice and understand the relationship.
Official FTC resources include:
How commercial links should be labeled
When a link is part of a paid relationship, the disclosure should use understandable language rather than relying on obscure abbreviations or a disclosure buried on a separate legal page. A site-wide policy like this one supplements, but does not necessarily replace, a disclosure located near a particular recommendation when the context requires one.
Official links versus commercial links
Our articles may contain both. They serve different purposes:
- Official link: directs the reader to the government court, agency, repository, sheriff, corrections system, or authorized government portal that controls the public function being explained.
- Commercial link: directs the reader to an independent business that may provide search, aggregation, monitoring, research, or another service.
A commercial service should never be presented with wording, graphics, or placement that falsely implies it is the government portal.
Editorial independence
Advertising and affiliate compensation should not determine:
- which government source we identify as authoritative;
- whether we disclose that a government search is free;
- whether we mention an official request form;
- how we describe a fee charged by a government office;
- whether we correct a broken or outdated official link;
- whether we explain the limitations of a commercial database; or
- whether we publish an FCRA or responsible-use warning.
No hidden substitution of official sources
If a county provides a free official court search, the existence of a paid partner does not justify omitting that official source. A reader should be able to identify the government pathway separately from an optional commercial service.
Display advertising
Display ads can be served by an advertising network or direct advertiser. An advertisement is not an editorial recommendation simply because it appears next to an article. Ad networks can also use contextual or personalized signals subject to their own policies and applicable privacy choices.
Sponsored content
If we publish content that is sponsored or created as part of a paid placement, it should be labeled so that readers can distinguish the commercial relationship from independent editorial research. Sponsorship does not permit false claims, fabricated government affiliation, or suppression of required disclosures.
Third-party background and people-search services
Commercial criminal-record or people-search services vary widely in coverage, refresh timing, source quality, identity matching, dispute processes, pricing, and permissible-use rules. A commercial database can be incomplete or outdated even when it appears comprehensive.
Readers should not assume that an advertised or affiliated service is suitable for employment, housing, credit, insurance, or another purpose governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Review the provider’s own FCRA status and terms and see our FCRA & Responsible Use Notice.
We do not sell favorable editorial conclusions
Payment should not buy a statement that a commercial service is “official,” “most accurate,” “complete,” or legally appropriate unless the claim can be substantiated and is presented in a non-misleading manner. Our official-source identification is based on the source’s authority, not a commercial agreement.
Corrections remain independent
An advertiser or affiliate partner does not receive a right to block a legitimate factual correction. If an editorial statement about an official process is wrong, our standard is to correct it after verification.
Privacy considerations
Advertising or affiliate systems may use cookies, referral identifiers, or other measurement technology. See Privacy, Cookies & Data Choices for our general approach to those technologies and applicable user controls.
Questions about a commercial relationship
If you believe a link, advertisement, review, or recommendation on criminal-record.org/ does not adequately disclose a material commercial relationship, email contact@criminal-record.org with the page URL and the placement at issue.