Mug shot publishing industry

The mug shot publishing industry is a niche market of tabloid journalism emerging in the United States. The industry consists of private companies that publish mug shots and booking details of individuals arrested by law enforcement agencies. These companies publish the arrest information in tabloids and through websites. More than 60 new mug shot websites were created in the two-year period ending March 2013. The related mugshot removal services, at least one of which calls itself part of the reputation management industry, profit when individuals pay a fee to have their mugshot removed from one or more websites. The two types of business are sometimes operated by the same company resulting in a combination business model which Kashmir Hill, writing for Forbes calls the "embarrassment extortion industry", and David Kravets, writing for Wired refers to as a racket. Some legal experts say that while it is "close to extortion", it is a legal business model.

The owners of mugshot websites have stated their belief that publishing the information can spur tips to Crime Stoppers and deter others from committing crimes for fear of their information being published.

Arrest data and photos are public record, and can be accessed through the websites of law enforcement agencies. However, many agencies in small cities, towns and counties do not provide online data. To reduce the probability of their mugshot going online, at least one Florida attorney suggests that his clients pick a rural sheriff's department when they surrender to authorities.

Mug shots and the associated information are published regardless of whether or not the person is guilty or has been convicted of the crime they were arrested for. The industry has become controversial because of this and due to many of the online websites charging fees to remove mugshots and arrest profiles.

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