I was listening to the Planet Money podcast episode titled “Mugshots for Sale” and I found it to be interesting. In case anyone wonders how people make money off of other people’s mugshots, see below.

One of the main arguments in support of this is they believe government records should remain public and accessible with no more restrictions than there already are. On the other hand, people feel like this is extortion and puts people at unfair advantages for jobs, etc. if they cannot afford to pay the fee to remove the mugshot. Plus, having your mugshot online doesn’t always account for people who were wrongly arrested or arrested and found innocent.

I was wondering how everyone felt about this.

Questions:

1. Should these mugshot publishing websites remain legal? (I believe 18 states have it illegal at this time, but it’s not heavily enforced unless the website is sued)

2. Do you think there is a slippery slope involved in making government records more difficult or impossible to obtain?

Edited to clarify:

The reporter for the podcast paid a website about $400 to remove her photo from their website so her mugshot wasn’t the first hit when you google search her name.