Is is legal for mugshots.com to publish mugshots? I just found my sister's mugshot on theri website.

[dongbautista]

Is is legal for mugshots.com to publish mugshots? I just found my sister's mugshot on theri website.

[Canary42]

Never heard of this website until reading it here so went along and had a look - I AM APPALED.

It does seem to be limited to the good old USA - land of the free - where it apparently is legal as mug-shots in police records are regarded as in the public domain (this is according to the website - they may be lying of course)

I don't think it would be legal in the UK (or anywhere in the EC) - well I sincerely hope not.

[Canary42]

*APPALLED*

[jomifl]

Is it legal for TV news programmes to show people walking in the street? surely it invades their human rights. Perhaps everyone should wear a burkha to protect their privacy.

[daffy654]

jomifl, the two things don't compare.

[jomifl]

Daffy, I take your point, I hadn't realised that the mugshots were of people who had not been found guilty of any crime. However they are little different from photos of 'suspects' in newspapers. Perhaps this whole issue should be re-thought. I feel sorry for the homeless man who found $77K, he will be a prime target for every mugger in the USA.

[joggerjayne]

There are some weird looking people on there!

I wonder if the "mugshot removal" companies are all connected to the website ... they publish the photos, then you pay "another" company (really the same people) to have the photo removed?

So they are just extorting money out of people.

Is it legal for them to publish them? I suppose the copyright in the photos is owned by the police dept. which took them, so it's up to the police, really.

[ABerrant]

The US based website addresses the legality of their "service".

http://mugshots.com/about.html

A recent Appeal Court ruling appears to reduce the 'absolute right to publish under the First Amendment' to one of 'able to publish where mugshots are released'.

http://www.rcfp.org/b...ts-can-be-kept-secret