Corrections & removals
Last updated 6 October 2026. How to get a record fixed or taken down.
The short version. Not every request is the same and we do not treat them the same. A record that is wrong, dismissed, acquitted, expunged, or superseded by a court is a correction and it goes to the front of the queue. Asking us to take down a record that is accurate is reviewed separately. Start either one on the request form.
The two kinds of request
A correction is a claim that the record does not match reality: the information is wrong, it is not you, the charges were dismissed, you were acquitted, the case has been resolved differently than the record shows, or a court has sealed or expunged it. These are the requests we most want to receive, because a wrong record is a problem for you and a problem for us.
A discretionary removal is a request to take down a record that is accurate and lawfully published. We review these individually, and GotBusted News replies to you by email with the next steps.
What we ask you to send
Tell us the name on the record and, if you have it, the link to the page. For anything involving a court — a dismissal, an acquittal, a changed disposition, an expungement — the case number and the court are what let us confirm it fastest. If a court has ordered a record sealed or expunged, say so on the form and we will tell you where to send the order.
We never need your Social Security number, your date of birth, or a photograph of your ID, and you should not send them. If a site asks you for those things to remove a record, that is worth being suspicious about.
What happens next
Every request is read by a person. Court-ordered removals are handled first, then corrections, then everything else. You get a reply by email either way — including when the answer is no, and why. If we correct or remove a record, it comes off the site and stops appearing in search previews and share cards from that point forward.
We cannot remove a record from the county, the court, or the state registry. Those are the original sources and they publish independently of us. We also cannot remove a copy that another site made before we changed ours.
If we published something wrong
Tell us and we will fix it, without an argument. If the error was ours rather than the source agency's, say so — we would rather know which of the two it was, because one of those we can prevent from happening again.
Start a request
Contact
If your situation does not fit the form, write to us through the contact page and describe it in your own words.
This page is written to be read, not to be impressive. It is not legal advice and it has not been reviewed by counsel; if you are relying on it for a legal question, talk to a lawyer.