Navigating Privacy Settings on Social Media Platforms
December 12, 2023Social media has become a ubiquitous aspect of daily life, making the management of privacy settings increasingly vital. This article…
We specialize in Bail Bonds HQ Removal. Contact us today to learn more.
Your personal information should be yours to control. And in many ways, it used to be that way. Until the Internet.
Now, anyone can find information. This includes sensitive information about a person’s arrest.
That is just what groups like Bail Bonds HQ do, and it is why groups like ours stay dedicated to Bail Bonds HQ removal.
Bail Bonds HQ (bailbondshq.com) sells itself as a good guy database. They collect national inmate information to display it on their website. They display this information via what they call a national inmate directory.
Visitors to the site can search this directory to find out who is in jail. They can also see information about why a person is in jail as well as their booking photographs. Booking photographs are the official name for mugshots.
Bail Bonds HQ says they are providing a service to bondsmen. They purport that collecting all this information into one location makes it easier for United States bondsmen to find potential clients.
Bail bondsmen are those individuals and companies who front bail money on behalf of their client, a defendant in a criminal case. This bail money helps release an individual from jail without their having to pay the full amount themselves.
In exchange for this money fronting, the bondsman charges a fee of around 10% of the total bail amount. It is a high fee, but it does mean fast freedom.
Now, while the Bail Bonds HQ website does help some bondsmen connect with clients, that is not all it does.
But the database isn’t private and doesn’t make visitors prove credentials. This makes its information available to anyone. In other words, any person who knows an individual’s name can search for them.
They can do so via the website and one’s results in them can have humiliating and damaging consequences.
Potential partners, friends, coworkers all have access to the Bail Bonds HQ website. This means they all can search your name and find out information about you.
Yes, technically an employer can’t fire a person or refused a job because of crimes. At least not in most states. But that doesn’t mean an employer might pass on you secretly for it so long as they have other applicants.
Same thing with employers. Official housing places will take care not to discriminate against people with online mugshots. But private landlords and housing managers may not.
Remember, the original intent (allegedly) for Bail Bonds HQ search is to make it easy for bail bondsmen to search for clients. Thus, this website is set up to make it easy for them to find who is in jail and how to get in contact with them.
When someone goes to Bail Bonds HQ, they will first click what state they want to look through. Once on the state page, users can click a specific county and jail.
That search will then end at a listing of everyone last known in jail.
Inmate information on the county jail lists include:
Users can then click on the word “Mugshot” underneath the Image column to directly pull up the person’s mugshot.
Clicking on the name of the person from this list will offer users the following information:
Again, this is valuable information for bail bondsmen. With this information, a bail bondsman can quickly find individuals to offer fast bail.
This is especially important for individuals who might not otherwise know how to contact a bail bondsman.
However, anyone can likewise follow those same inputs and get the same information.
Users can also use the available search engine box to find someone’s information by name or booking number.
Other mugshot websites garner more attention in the media due to their operating solely for profit.
Bail Bonds HQ’s purported mission of serving only bail bondsmen allows them to fly more under the radar. They do so while states crackdown on more notorious websites. Yet, under the radar is not completely off the radar.
The misuse of private information has lent to several lawsuits and some media attention.
For example, a Pennsylvania man filed legal actions against the owners of this website and Google just this year. He claims that the website uploaded and listed his mugshot and information from an arrest made 17 years ago.
The plaintiff says he did a casual Google search of his name last November and found a link to the bailbondsmanhq.com website. Clicking the link, the plaintiff found all his information listed. Listed in such a way that may lead other website visitors to believe him still incarcerated.
The Pennsylvania plaintiff went through the website’s own portal to request information take-down. Yet, on later Google searches of his name, his information still came up connected with the bail bondsman website.
The case is still ongoing as of now. As of this writing, the plaintiff and his representatives are seeking multiple counts against Google and the proprietors of the website. Altogether, they seek compensatory damages ranging from $50,000 to $74,999 for each count.
We hope not!
A lawsuit takes a lengthy amount of time and gets expensive. Plus, what is likely to win in court will vary depending upon one’s circumstances. Our team at EraseMugshots.com is following this and other cases closely.
There are three key points that make the Pennsylvania plaintiff’s case for Bail Bonds HQ removal (or lack thereof) strong:
Once you’re out of jail, no matter the status of the charges or not, you can request Bail Bonds HQ removal. Simply follow this link to their website and complete the opt-out submittal form.
Allegedly, they should remove your information regardless of where you sit with the charges. This is because, again, they state they only use the website to connect bail bondsmen with inmates.
If you can, however, it can help to upload documents that show the case sealed, charges dismissed, our record expunged.
If after two weeks they have not removed, it is time to escalate. Certain states have passed outstanding laws that will protect you.
For example, the state of Florida makes it illegal for any website to host released inmates’ information. Regardless of how the case played out and whether or not a jury or judge found the person guilty or not guilty.
To remove your information via these laws, you will need to do some work, however. You’ll need to send the relevant information to the web hosts by certified mail and you will have to wait for a response.
If in response, either by email or mail, the web host requests a fee for removal, then you can start getting the law involved.
In many states now, it is illegal for any website, including Bail Bonds HQ, to request payment in exchange for inmate photos and record removal.
If you’re not seeing any changes with the above steps or you aren’t sure what applies to your state and circumstances, then it’s likely time to call in the professionals.
At Erase Mugshots, we work diligently with individuals from around the country. We work with those found guilty, not guilty, took a plea, and everything in between.
No matter what your situation is, you don’t deserve to have your present and future marred by past circumstances.
In order to help our clients on this mission, we provide the following services:
So, are you ready to take control of your information and image? If so, contact our team today.
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