Where Mugshot Sites Are Hiding Their Tracking Pixels

September 18, 2025 Privacy

Mugshot websites are more than just online archives of booking photos and arrest records. Behind the images, many of these sites quietly install tracking pixels—tiny, often invisible tools that monitor visitors. While mugshot sites claim to publish public records, their hidden practices raise serious concerns about privacy, reputation, and transparency.

What Are Mugshot Sites?

Mugshot sites collect booking photos and arrest details from law enforcement agencies and publish them online. They typically show:

A person’s mugshot
Name and birth date
Arrest date
Arrest charges or related court information

Because many states consider arrest records public, these sites argue they have the right to publish them. However, this practice often causes lasting harm, even when charges are dismissed, expunged, or when a person is never found guilty. Many of these sites also offer mugshot removal services—for a fee or by written request—creating an industry built on reputational damage and cleanup.

These websites often run a business model that profits both from publishing mugshots and charging individuals to remove their images. This dual role has raised ethical and legal questions. Some state legislatures have introduced house bills to regulate or ban pay-for-removal practices. Despite these efforts, many mugshot sites continue to operate with limited oversight.

How Do Mugshot Sites Use Tracking Pixels?

Tracking pixels are small pieces of code hidden inside a web page. When someone visits a mugshot website, these pixels send information back to the site’s server. The data collected can include:

IP address and approximate location
Device type and operating system
Pages visited and time spent on each page
Clicks on ads or removal service offers

Mugshot sites use this information to increase ad revenue, track who searches for certain arrest records, and target visitors with marketing. In some cases, the data may be shared or sold to third-party advertisers and data brokers, expanding the reach of personal information. This dissemination of data occurs without explicit consent or clear disclosure, raising concerns about privacy violations.

Where Are the Pixels Hidden?

Most mugshot sites embed tracking pixels in places users rarely notice. Common placements include:

Page headers and footers: to track every visitor from the moment the page loads.
Booking photo sections: pixels tied to specific images to monitor how often a mugshot is viewed.
Ad blocks or pop-ups: pixels hidden in banner ads or “contact us” forms to log clicks and page exits.
Removal request forms: pixels attached to pages where people request mugshot removal, capturing even more personal data.

Because pixels are invisible, users don’t see them, but they activate in the background every time the page or image loads. This covert tracking creates a connection between the visitor and the mugshot content. Companies can build detailed profiles on who searches for whom and may use this information for future marketing or other business purposes.

Why This Matters for Privacy and Reputation

For someone searching their own name or trying to remove mugshots, these pixels create additional risks:

Data exploitation: Information collected can be sold or shared with advertisers, data brokers, or used to promote removal services.
Reputation tracking: Sites can monitor which arrest records get the most traffic, amplifying harm to those individuals.
Lack of transparency: Many mugshot websites operate without clear disclosure about these tracking practices.

Even if charges are dismissed or records are outdated, tracking pixels allow mugshot sites to profit from ongoing damage to personal reputations. This practice may violate ethical standards and, in some cases, conflict with state statutes regulating the publication and use of arrest information.

How to Spot Tracking Pixels

You can identify tracking pixels with basic tools built into most modern browsers:

Open the mugshot page.
Right-click and select Inspect or View Page Source.
Look for small image tags (often 1×1 pixels in size) or external scripts loading from outside servers.
Check the Network tab in developer tools to see all requests the page makes. Suspicious third-party calls often indicate hidden tracking.

Browser extensions like Ghostery, Privacy Badger, or uBlock Origin can also highlight active trackers on mugshot sites. These tools help you spot and block trackers, providing a layer of protection and helping maintain control over your online footprint.

How to Protect Yourself

If you visit a mugshot website—whether for research, legal support, or to confirm a posting—you can take steps to reduce data collection:

Use a VPN to mask your IP address and location.
Block third-party cookies in your browser settings.
Install ad-blockers or tracker-blocking extensions.
Avoid entering personal details unless required by law (such as during a formal written request for removal).
Clear your browser’s cache and cookies after visiting these sites.

While these measures won’t remove the mugshot itself, they limit the personal data collected while you explore removal options. Remember that mugshot sites often maintain extensive archives. Even if a photo is removed from one site, copies may exist elsewhere or in cached pages.

The Legal Situation

Some states, including California, have passed laws requiring mugshot websites to honor removal requests when charges are dismissed or records are expunged. For example, California law mandates that companies must remove mugshots free of charge under certain circumstances, such as when the person was not convicted or charges were dropped. Other states have introduced house bills aimed at regulating pay-for-removal practices and protecting individuals from mugshot extortion.

However, most laws do not address the use of hidden tracking pixels or the broader dissemination of visitor data. This means mugshot sites can continue collecting visitor data with little oversight. Until stronger rules are in place, individuals must take responsibility for protecting their privacy.

Furthermore, the publication of mugshots by media outlets, police agencies, and mugshot websites often falls under statutes governing public records and dissemination of information. Police departments maintain arrest records and mugshots as public records, but some companies’ business practices have been challenged as violations of fair business practices or consumer protection laws.

Future Directions and Advocacy

Awareness and advocacy for regulating the mugshot publishing industry and associated data collection practices are growing. State legislatures continue to consider bills imposing stricter requirements on these companies, including mandatory removal of mugshots under specific circumstances, prohibitions on charging removal fees, and transparency about data collection methods.

Lawyers and consumer protection advocates encourage individuals to report violations and support legislative efforts that protect privacy and reputation. Public pressure and legal action have led some companies to change their practices, but the industry remains largely unregulated at the federal level.

Conclusion

Mugshot sites already cause harm by publishing outdated or misleading arrest records. The hidden use of tracking pixels adds another layer of exploitation—quietly collecting visitor data and profiting from it. By understanding where these pixels are placed and how they work, you can take steps to protect yourself, limit unnecessary exposure, and support efforts for stronger privacy protections.

As the business and legal landscape evolves, staying informed about your rights and the practices of mugshot sites is essential. Advocating for transparency, fair treatment, and regulation can help reduce the negative impact these sites have on individuals’ lives and reputations.