California Senate Takes on Mugshot Publishing Industry
California residents whose mugshots are posted online by privately run Web sites may no longer have to pay to have the photos taken down.
A bill passed by the California Senate on Monday would make it illegal for mugshot publishing Web sites to charge fees - often amounting to hundreds of dollars - to remove photos of individuals who have been accused of crimes. The bill will head to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) for approval.
State Sen. Jerry Hill, a Democrat who authored the bill, said he wants to curb the influence of the exploitative mugshot Web sites, which do not always reflect instances in which charges against the person arrested are dropped.
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