Home › Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

This policy describes information collected during a visit to Smith County Criminal History, the reasons it may be used, and the limited circumstances in which another service may receive it. Continued use of the website signifies acceptance of these practices.

Data You Give Us Directly

Search Queries

A name or location entered in a search tool is sent to the outside provider operating that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. We do not keep or log those search terms on our systems.

Messages and Contact Submissions

An email or other direct message may be retained long enough to respond and maintain the related correspondence. It stays within our organization unless disclosure is required by law.

Data We Gather Automatically

Ordinary server logs may collect these technical details when a page loads:

  • Page-view dates and times
  • Browser type and version
  • Device category and operating system
  • Internet Protocol address
  • Visited pages and approximate time on them
  • A referring website, when one is supplied

Cookies and Analytics

Cookies are small files saved by a browser. They and analytics services help produce combined traffic measures, such as popular pages and common exit points. A browser can reject or remove cookies, although doing so may change how some functions behave.

What We Do With This Data

  • Diagnosing faults and maintaining security
  • Routing a submitted query to the selected search provider
  • Operating and improving website speed and availability
  • Measuring which resources visitors use
  • Presenting advertising that may reflect visitor interests

No Criminal-Record Data on File

We do not maintain, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal records. Smith County guidance identifies official custodians such as the sheriff, the courts, TBI's central repository, and the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry. Visitor information is not compiled into consumer reports or third-party criminal-history files, and this website is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Third-Party Search Partners

Outside companies operate the search boxes. Their own privacy policies govern submitted terms, retention, processing, and disclosure. We do not control those choices. Review the provider's policy before entering a query.

Links to Other Websites

Links may lead to the Smith County government, Tennessee courts, TBI, other public agencies, legal resources, or search providers. Once a visitor follows an outbound link, the destination's privacy terms apply. Check them before providing personal information.

Advertising providers may use their own systems to recognize activity across websites and select ads. Their processing is not controlled by us.

Who Might See Your Data

Personal data is not sold. Limited information may be received by:

  • Analytics providers measuring traffic and performance
  • Search partners processing a query submitted to their tool
  • Advertising networks serving material on a page
  • A government body or law-enforcement agency acting under a valid legal demand

How We Protect Your Data

Reasonable security measures are used to protect collected information. 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 resource is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a person under 18. When we learn that such information was provided, we will take steps to remove it.

Your Data Rights

The Tennessee Public Records Act, Tenn. Code Ann. Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5, governs access to records held by covered government custodians; it does not turn data held by this private website into a Smith County public record. Tenn. Code Ann. ยง 40-39-206 governs specific Tennessee Sex Offender Registry data and disclosure duties. We do not claim that either law creates broader private-site data rights beyond its text. Visitors may still:

  • Ask whether we retain information tied to them
  • Request correction of inaccurate retained information
  • Ask for deletion where retention is not legally required
  • Use browser and provider controls to limit certain processing

Updates to This Policy

This policy may be revised as practices or services change. A revised version will appear here with its new effective date, and use after publication is subject to that version.

Effective date: August 8, 2026