Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered in a search box is sent to the outside provider that operates that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. Dorchester County Criminal History does not keep or log those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email sent to the site may be retained long enough to review and answer it. Messages stay within the operating team unless disclosure is required by law.
Data We Gather Automatically
Ordinary server and analytics logs may collect technical facts about a visit:
- Page-view dates and times
- Visited pages and time spent on them
- Device type and operating system
- Browser name and version
- Internet Protocol address
- Referring website, when one is supplied
Cookies and Analytics
Small cookie files and analytics services help show which pages are used and how the website performs. Browser controls can reject cookies, although some features may then work differently.
What We Do With This Data
Collected technical information supports routine website operations.
- Diagnosing errors and performance problems
- Keeping pages available and responsive
- Understanding which content visitors use
- Routing a submitted query to the selected search partner
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Dorchester County Criminal History does not compile, maintain, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It publishes general directions to records held by the Dorchester County clerk and Sheriff, local police, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina Department of Corrections, and the South Carolina Sex Offender Registry Tool. Visitor information is not assembled into a consumer report, and the site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information submitted there falls under the selected company's privacy policy, retention rules, and sharing practices. Review those terms before running a query because this policy does not control a partner's systems.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Dorchester County offices, South Carolina courts and agencies, or other services. Once a visitor leaves this website, the destination's privacy rules govern. Advertising services may also use their own technology to measure activity across sites; that processing occurs on their systems.
Who Might See Your Data
Personal information is not sold. Limited information may be available to:
- Analytics providers that measure traffic and performance
- Search partners that process a query a visitor submits
- Advertising networks that place advertisements
- Government or law-enforcement bodies acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, commonly used safeguards protect information collected through the website. No internet system can be guaranteed against every failure or intrusion, so absolute security cannot be promised.
Users Under 18
The website is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone younger than 18. Information known to have been supplied by a minor will be deleted.
Your Data Rights
A visitor may ask to access personal data held by the site, correct an error, request deletion, or object to certain processing where applicable law provides that choice. South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act, S.C. Code Title 30, Chapter 4, governs access to nonexempt government records, while S.C. Code ยง23-3-115 governs state criminal-history dissemination. Those laws apply to official records and do not turn this private website into a government custodian.
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised as practices or legal requirements change. A revised version takes effect when posted here with its new date.
Effective date: August 8, 2026