If you’re worried about online mugshots, you may also be wondering what’s the point of having mugshots online at all? Why are they so popular? There are several reasons why.
Mugshot Websites Make Money
First, you need to understand why the mugshot websites want to post mugshots. The main answer is that sites like arrests.org and Busted Mugshots make money by posting mugshots.
One way that they do this is by charging people to remove their mugshots. You may think that it’s extortion to charge someone to take down negative information about them, but the truth is that it’s legal in many areas. If you want a job or don’t want everyone you meet thinking you’re a criminal, you might think you have no choice but to pay.
Another way that mugshot websites make money is by advertising. They get paid every time someone clicks an ad or every time someone views a page. When they can get people clicking through mugshots, that’s a lot of ads they can show in a short amount of time. Since mugshots are public information that they’re getting for free, it also doesn’t cost much to set up and run one of these sites.
People Do Their Own Background Checks
People like to look up people they meet. It could be someone they’re considering hiring, someone who asked them out on a date, or even a random acquaintance. One of the biggest things people want to know is whether someone is a criminal.
When you have your mugshots online, most people will think you are a criminal. It doesn’t even matter if you’re innocent and the person who got you arrested was later arrested for making a false police report. When people see your mugshots online, they usually don’t look into things any further. They just make an assumption that you’re a bad person because you got in trouble with the law.
People Use Them as Entertainment
Many people like to gossip and read tabloid magazines. Shows like Cops and Live PD were popular for a reason. Even if people don’t set out to look at mugshots, they might see a link to mugshots in an online newspaper or magazine and click through out of curiosity.
Most people would probably admit that looking at online mugshots isn’t a very valuable activity, but many people still do it. They don’t think about the harm the sites are causing to people who have their mugshots posted or may not care because they think those people are criminals. As long as they keep clicking, the mugshot websites keep making money and keep posting mugshots.
While some areas are passing laws against online mugshots, your reputation may not have time to wait for new laws. If you want your mugshots gone now, consider a service like EraseMugshots.
