Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A query entered in a search tool is sent to the outside provider that operates that tool. The provider handles the name or place submitted and supplies the response. Mathews County Criminal History does not keep or record those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email sent to the site may be retained for the time needed to answer it. The message is kept within the operating team and is not disclosed outside that organization unless a legal duty requires disclosure.
Data We Gather Automatically
Standard technical details can be recorded by the server whenever a visitor opens a page. Those details may include:
- The device's assigned IP address
- The browser name and version
- The operating system and device category
- The pages viewed and time spent on them
- The referring website, when one is supplied
- The date and time of each page request
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. They and analytics services help combine traffic data, such as which Mathews County pages are used most and where visits end. A browser can block cookies through its settings, though disabling them may change how parts of the website work.
What We Do With This Data
Collected visit data is used only for operating, measuring, supporting, and funding the website. Uses may include:
- Keeping pages available and improving load speed
- Routing a submitted query to the correct search provider
- Measuring which content visitors use
- Diagnosing errors and other technical faults
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Mathews County Criminal History does not own, build, sell, or maintain a database of personal criminal records. Its content describes how to reach the Mathews County Sheriff, the local courts, the Virginia Department of State Police Criminal Justice Information Services Division and Central Criminal Records Exchange, and the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry. Visitor data is not assembled into a consumer report or a criminal record about another person. This website is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information placed in a search field is therefore handled under that provider's privacy policy, including its own retention and disclosure rules. Those practices are not controlled by Mathews County Criminal History. Visitors should read the provider's terms before sending a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the Mathews County government, Virginia courts, the Virginia State Police, legal-aid resources, or outside search tools. Once a visitor follows an external link, the destination's privacy policy applies. Review that policy before giving the destination personal information.
Advertising providers may use their own systems to follow activity across websites and select interest-based ads. That processing occurs on the provider's systems rather than on systems controlled by Mathews County Criminal History.
Who Might See Your Data
Personal data is not sold. Limited information may be available to these recipients when needed for the stated purpose:
- A search provider that processes a query
- An analytics provider that measures traffic or performance
- An advertising network that places an ad
- A government or law-enforcement body acting under a valid legal order
How We Protect Your Data
Common administrative and technical safeguards are used for information that is collected. No internet-connected service can guarantee absolute security, however. Reasonable measures reduce risk, but they cannot promise that unauthorized access or a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
The website is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone younger than 18. If the operator learns that a minor submitted personal data, that information will be removed promptly.
Your Data Rights
The Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Virginia Code § 2.2-3700 et seq., governs access to records held by Virginia public bodies. It does not create a right to demand visitor data from this privately operated website. Likewise, Virginia Code § 19.2-389 limits dissemination of criminal-history information from the Virginia State Police Central Criminal Records Exchange. It is not a private-site data-access law. Separate from those statutes, a visitor may:
- Ask for a copy of personal information held by the operator
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Ask that retained personal information be deleted
- Request an opt-out from certain forms of processing
Updates to This Policy
This privacy policy may be revised when practices or legal requirements change. A revised policy will be posted here, and its effective date will be updated so visitors can identify the current version.
Effective date: August 10, 2026