What Happens Online After an Arrest? Public Records, Search Results and Your Digital Footprint
An arrest can reach jail rosters, court indexes, mugshot sites and search results within days. Here's who controls each copy, and what can change.
Briefing ·
Your digital footprint, followed past the click
The internet remembers more than most people realize. It also forgets more than people fear. We explain what happens to information after you post, search, sign up or get mentioned, and what you can realistically do about it.
What's moving this week
- Data Broker Radaris Loses Domains in Privacy FightKrebs on Security
- DraftKings Is Using AI to Supercharge the Harms of Online Behavioral AdvertisingDeeplinks
- Microsoft Plugs Nearly 1,000 Security HolesKrebs on Security
- D.C. Circuit Must Vacate a Drone Flight Restriction That Criminalized Recording Immigration AgentsDeeplinks
- FBI Probes Service Selling 153M+ Drivers LicensesKrebs on Security
- EU Kids Act Won't Keep the Internet Accountable and TrustworthyDeeplinks
Headlines link to their publishers.
Six questions we ask of every story
- Who has the information?
- Is it public or private?
- Can search engines see it?
- How long might it last?
- Can it be corrected or removed?
- What should you do next?
Safety, Data Brokers, Browser Privacy & Internet History
Data brokers build profiles out of records that were public one piece at a time. Your browser keeps its own set. We cover the opt-outs that hold and the history that survives a “clear all.”
Brokers, breaches and the tracking trade
- Data Broker Radaris Loses Domains in Privacy FightKrebs on Security
- FBI Probes Service Selling 153M+ Drivers LicensesKrebs on Security
- Who’s Tracking You? Use This New Service to Find OutKrebs on Security
Content Pillars
Six sections, one habit: follow the information after the click. This is the map of how we sort stories, and where to start when your question fits more than one.
Across every beat this week
- Data Broker Radaris Loses Domains in Privacy FightKrebs on Security
- DraftKings Is Using AI to Supercharge the Harms of Online Behavioral AdvertisingDeeplinks
- Microsoft Plugs Nearly 1,000 Security HolesKrebs on Security
Digital Footprints
Your footprint isn't one trail. It's a set of drawers owned by different people. Some you can empty in minutes, some you can't. We sort which is which.
Where the footprints are forming
- How to Limit What Apple’s New Siri AI Can Access in iOS 27Deeplinks
- DraftKings Is Using AI to Supercharge the Harms of Online Behavioral AdvertisingDeeplinks
- Secure Messaging and AI Remain In Conflict Despite the Promise of TEEsDeeplinks
Online Privacy
Some toggles stop collection. Others only change what you're shown. We test settings against one question: what does the company stop storing?
Privacy fights worth following
- Secure Messaging and AI Remain In Conflict Despite the Promise of TEEsDeeplinks
- How to Limit What Apple’s New Siri AI Can Access in iOS 27Deeplinks
- DraftKings Is Using AI to Supercharge the Harms of Online Behavioral AdvertisingDeeplinks
Online Reputation
Search engines rank pages but don't own them. We explain who controls each result under your name, and who to ask when something is wrong or out of date.
Records, brokers and what surfaces in search
- Data Broker Radaris Loses Domains in Privacy FightKrebs on Security
- FBI Probes Service Selling 153M+ Drivers LicensesKrebs on Security
- Two Alleged ‘TeamPCP’ Hackers Arrested in AustraliaKrebs on Security
Social Media
“Friends only” describes the display, not what happens after a screenshot. We follow posts past the audience picker to where they actually end up.
Platforms, kids and the rules being written
- EU Kids Act Won't Keep the Internet Accountable and TrustworthyDeeplinks
- DraftKings Is Using AI to Supercharge the Harms of Online Behavioral AdvertisingDeeplinks
- EFF Statement on California Governor's Executive Order on AIDeeplinks
Before you start
What should I know before getting into digital footprint?
Start with the fact that your digital footprint isn't one thing. It's search history held by search companies, posts held by platforms, records held by courts and counties, and profiles assembled by data brokers. Each has different rules for who can see it and whether it can be changed. Knowing which one you're dealing with tells you who to contact first.
How much does digital footprint cost in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Carolina, Myrtle Beach, Conway, Grand Strand, Southeast United States, global English-speaking internet users?
Having a digital footprint doesn't cost anything, and most of the work of managing one is free wherever you live, from Conway and the Grand Strand to Canada, the UK and Australia. Privacy settings, account cleanups, data-broker opt-outs and search engine removal requests generally don't require payment. Paid removal and reputation services exist and their prices vary widely, so compare what they do with what you could file yourself. If a legal matter is involved, legal fees are a separate cost from anything related to search results.