Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location submitted through a search tool is sent to the outside provider that operates that tool. The provider processes the query and returns its own results. We do not keep a site-side log of the terms entered into those partner search boxes.
Messages and Contact Submissions
If a visitor sends an email, we may retain the message and reply information. It remains within the organization unless disclosure is needed to comply with a valid legal duty.
Data We Gather Automatically
Loading a page can produce routine technical and usage records, including:
- Page-view times and the pages visited
- Device type and operating system
- Browser type and version
- The referring site, when supplied
- The device's assigned IP address
- Approximate time spent on a page
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files saved by a browser. They and analytics services help combine traffic information, such as which pages are viewed and where visits end. Browser controls can block cookies, although doing so may change how some site functions behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Diagnosing errors and maintaining site security
- Routing a submitted query to the selected outside provider
- Measuring which content visitors use
- Operating and improving site performance
- Displaying advertising that may reflect browsing interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Richland County Criminal History does not compile, keep, or sell a database of individual criminal records. It explains how to reach custodians such as Richland County Sheriff's Department, the South Carolina courts, SLED Criminal Justice Information Services, and the South Carolina Sex Offender Registry. S.C. Code §§ 23-3-110 et seq. establish SLED's state criminal-identification and repository framework; they do not turn this private site into that repository. Visitor data is not assembled into a consumer report, and this site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes. Their privacy policies, retention periods, sharing rules, and security practices apply to information submitted to them. We do not set those terms. Review the provider's policy before sending a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Richland County offices, South Carolina courts, state agencies, legal resources, or outside search services. Once a visitor follows a link, the destination's privacy policy controls that visit. Check it before providing personal information.
Advertising providers may use their own systems to measure activity across websites and select ads. Their practices are not controlled by this policy.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal data. Limited information may be available to:
- Analytics vendors that measure traffic and performance
- Search providers that process a query submitted to their tool
- Advertising networks that place or measure ads
- A government or law-enforcement body acting under valid legal process
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable safeguards are used for information in our control. No internet service can guarantee perfect security, however, so we cannot promise that unauthorized access or a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
This website is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. A request to remove information believed to have been supplied by a minor will be reviewed promptly.
Your Data Rights
South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act, S.C. Code §§ 30-4-10 et seq., governs access to records of public bodies, not visitor data held by this private site. S.C. Code § 30-2-50 also restricts obtaining or using personal information from a public body for commercial solicitation. Those laws should not be read as creating broad private-site rights that South Carolina has not granted. Even where no statute requires a specific response, a visitor may ask us to:
- Describe personal information held directly by this site
- Correct inaccurate information the visitor supplied
- Delete information when retention is not required
- Explain available choices for certain processing
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised as site practices or legal requirements change. The revised text and effective date will appear here, and continued use after posting is subject to the updated policy.
Effective date: August 8, 2026