The New York Times reported that a slew of online firms have sprung up to allow the public easy access to mug shots of arrested citizens. It sounds like an important public service to provide public information except that the firms charge a fee to remove the mugshot. (The New York Times, October 5, 2013, by David Segal)
For months Google has been looking for a way to deal with mug shot sites mainly by regulating the sites prominence in search results, but apparently the new Google formula is not having much effect. (Silicon Beat, October 7, 2013, by Brandon Baily)
Data Scientist Hilary Mason, October 6, 2013, says that the public would be better served by not pushing for the removal of the sites but rather to focus on allowing easier access to mug shot records through government channels thus eliminating firms allegedly extorting money from people including those arrested but not convicted.