How New Laws Are Affecting Mugshot Websites

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

The landscape surrounding online mugshot publication is shifting rapidly in 2025. As public concern over privacy, extortionate practices, and employment discrimination grows, lawmakers across the United States are implementing new legislation to address the controversial operations of mugshot websites. These legal developments are forcing changes in how arrest photos are handled, distributed, and monetized online.

In this comprehensive analysis, we examine the impact of new mugshot laws 2025, explore the legal trends affecting mugshot website laws, and provide actionable advice on what individuals can do to safeguard their online reputation in this evolving environment.

The Rise and Problem of Mugshot Websites

A Brief History

Mugshot websites emerged in the late 2000s, capitalizing on public records laws that allow for the release of booking photos. These sites aggregated arrest photos from police departments and reposted them online, often charging steep fees for removal—sometimes without verifying whether the individual was convicted, acquitted, or had their charges dropped.

The business model thrived on a lack of regulation. Website owners realized they could generate traffic through search engine optimization and monetize that attention through removal fees, ads, or data harvesting.

The Public Backlash

What started as transparency in law enforcement evolved into a system criticized for enabling online shaming, emotional distress, and reputational harm. Individuals who were never convicted still faced negative consequences—lost jobs, failed relationships, and denial of housing—due to searchable arrest records.

These issues were further exacerbated by algorithmic amplification. Search engines indexed these websites prominently, often ranking mugshots on the first page of results for a person’s name. This unintended consequence of SEO mechanics made mugshot content nearly inescapable.

Legislative Responses to Mugshot Exploitation

State-Level Reforms

As of 2025, over 35 states have introduced or passed legislation targeting mugshot websites. These laws aim to:

• Prohibit commercial use of mugshots without disposition data.
• Ban charging fees for removal.
• Require automatic removal upon expungement or dismissal.
• Limit law enforcement agencies from releasing mugshots pre-conviction.
• Provide civil penalties or criminal liability for noncompliance.

Notable States Leading the Charge:

• California: SB 920 prohibits law enforcement agencies from publishing mugshots online for nonviolent crimes unless there’s an immediate public safety need. It also mandates agencies to report how and why each mugshot is released.
• New York: Penal Law 190.87 criminalizes charging fees for mugshot removal and allows for consumer lawsuits with statutory damages.
• Texas: Enforces civil penalties of up to $10,000 for mugshot publication without timely case outcome updates. Additionally, state law requires mugshot databases to remove images within 10 days upon receiving proof of expungement.
• Florida: Implements automatic takedown policies for mugshots once records are sealed or expunged.
• Georgia: Passed legislation requiring mugshot sites to offer a free, clearly accessible removal process.

Federal Legislative Momentum

There is increasing pressure on Congress to pass federal standards. The Accountability in Mugshot Publishing Act—proposed in early 2025—would:

1. Make it illegal to charge removal fees for mugshots.
2. Require websites to take down mugshots within 30 days of record expungement.
3. Impose penalties of up to $50,000 for noncompliance.
4. Expand the FTC’s authority to pursue violators and ban exploitative practices under the Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices (UDAP) clause.
5. Establish a national public record accuracy database to verify case dispositions.

Legal Loopholes and Gray Areas

Jurisdictional Challenges

Mugshot websites often claim legal immunity under the First Amendment and the Communications Decency Act (Section 230). Although new laws are targeting their business models, enforcement remains difficult when:

• Operators are based overseas.
• Sites are hosted in non-compliant jurisdictions.
• Owners use shell companies or proxy registrars to hide identities.

Search Engine Involvement

Even with legal restrictions on websites, search engines remain the gatekeepers of visibility. While Google has reduced visibility for mugshot-related queries in the past, enforcement is inconsistent. Some images remain indexed due to:

• Duplicate reposts from foreign domains
• Poorly implemented robots.txt files
• Cached versions stored in third-party data aggregators

This makes holistic solutions—including de-indexing and content suppression—crucial.

How Mugshot Websites Are Responding

Some operators are already adapting to comply with new mugshot laws 2025:

• Incorporating disposition data next to mugshots
• Offering free removals upon proof of expungement
• Migrating servers overseas to avoid U.S. jurisdiction
• Masking ownership to obscure liability
• Creating decoy domains that redirect to main listings
• Partnering with unethical removal services to profit from both sides

These evasive practices highlight the ongoing need for proactive enforcement, consumer education, and third-party accountability.

The Role of Technology in Enforcement

Modern AI tools and web scraping bots are helping:

• Automatically detect non-compliant mugshot postings
• Track down clone sites reposting mugshots abroad
• Trigger automatic takedown notices via DMCA enforcement
• Monitor SEO manipulation through suspicious backlinking networks

Government and Industry Collaboration

New partnerships between state attorneys general and tech firms have resulted in initiatives like:

• Cross-platform mugshot detection algorithms
• Open-source takedown request portals
• Inter-agency task forces focused on online record abuse
• Blockchain-based record clearing verification tools

By combining legal enforcement with technical innovation, regulatory bodies are better positioned to challenge non-compliant sites.

Economic and Social Impacts of Mugshot Exploitation

Employment Discrimination

HR professionals frequently perform online background checks. A mugshot—regardless of outcome—can drastically reduce someone’s employability, especially in:

• Education
• Healthcare
• Public service
• Finance

Psychological Toll

Public mugshots can lead to:

• Depression and anxiety
• Social withdrawal
• Relationship breakdowns
• Harassment or cyberbullying

Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities

Studies show marginalized communities are disproportionately affected. The reasons include:

• Higher rates of over-policing
• Limited access to legal recourse
• Financial inability to pay removal fees
• Digital illiteracy regarding online reputation management

International Considerations

GDPR and Right to Be Forgotten

Under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), individuals can demand removal of outdated or irrelevant information, including mugshots. Similar principles are influencing U.S. reform, especially in:

• California’s CCPA
• Virginia’s CDPA
• Colorado’s Privacy Act

Cross-Border Enforcement Issues

Websites hosted abroad often evade U.S. laws. However, international pressure and cooperative treaties can:

• Compel server takedowns
• Freeze foreign-based assets
• Mandate IP blocking at the ISP level

Legal Recourse for Victims in 2025

If your mugshot has been posted online, even if charges were dropped or you were acquitted, you may now have more legal avenues than ever before:

Your Legal Rights Include:

• Right to Deletion: States with updated laws may require websites to remove your mugshot within a defined timeframe.
• Right to Sue: You may pursue civil damages if your mugshot was posted without disposition or was used to extort money.
• Right to Privacy: Law enforcement agencies in certain states can no longer release mugshots pre-conviction.
• Right to Notification: Agencies must notify individuals when their booking photo is released.

How to Remove Your Mugshot in 2025

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Identify the Website hosting the mugshot.
2. Check Your Legal Rights in your state of residence.
3. Send a Formal Removal Request citing state/federal law.
4. Submit Proof of Expungement or case dismissal, if applicable.
5. Document All Communication for legal record.
6. Submit a Google Removal Request if content violates privacy policies.
7. Track Online Mentions with monitoring tools to catch reposts.

How Defamation Defenders Can Help

Defamation Defenders offers comprehensive reputation repair services tailored for individuals impacted by online mugshots. Whether you need:

• Legal takedown assistance
• Content suppression strategies
• Monitoring tools to detect reposts
• Crisis response planning

Our experts leverage legal rights under new mugshot laws to advocate for swift removal and long-term suppression. We’ve helped thousands restore their online reputation—let us help you next.

Contact Defamation Defenders today for a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

MLA Citations:

• “Mugshot Websites and the Law.” National Conference of State Legislatures, 2025, www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/mugshot-laws.aspx.
• “Mugshots and Public Records: Privacy Concerns in the U.S.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025, www.eff.org/issues/mugshots.
• “The Legality of Online Mugshot Posting.” American Bar Association, 2025, www.americanbar.org/groups/criminal_justice/publications.
• “2025 Legal Digest on Public Records.” Cornell Legal Information Institute, 2025, www.law.cornell.edu/publicrecords.
• “Right to Be Forgotten and Data Protection Law.” European Data Protection Board, 2025, www.edpb.europa.eu.
• “Consumer Privacy in the United States.” Federal Trade Commission, 2025, https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/privacy-security/consumer-privacy.