Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered in a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider operating that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. We do not retain or record those search terms on our systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
When an email is sent to us, we retain it as needed to respond. The message is kept within our organization unless disclosure is required by law.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our servers automatically receive certain technical details when a page loads:
- Page-view timestamps
- The referring website, when one is supplied
- Visited pages and the time spent on them
- Device type and operating system
- Browser type and version
- The device's IP address
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. We and our analytics services use them to understand traffic in aggregate, including popular pages and where visits end. A browser can be set to block cookies, although doing so may change how some site functions behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Diagnosing and repairing technical problems
- Maintaining site availability, speed, and operation
- Routing a submitted query to the relevant search provider
- Measuring which pages are useful and which need improvement
- Displaying advertisements that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Swain County Criminal History does not compile, keep, or sell a database of personal criminal-record data. It publishes general directions to records maintained by the Swain County Sheriff's Office, the Clerk of Superior Court, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the North Carolina Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry. This site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visitor data is not assembled into consumer reports or third-party criminal records.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes that appear on this website. A partner's privacy policy, retention rules, and sharing practices govern information entered into its tool. We do not set those practices. Review the provider's policy before running a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to sheriff pages, court portals, North Carolina agencies, legal-aid resources, or outside search services. Once a visitor leaves this site, the destination's own privacy policy applies. Read that policy before providing personal information.
Some advertising companies may use activity across websites to select targeted ads. Their systems, rather than ours, perform that tracking.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Data may be disclosed to:
- Analytics providers that measure use and performance
- Search providers that process a visitor's submitted query
- Advertising networks that serve ads on the site
- Government or law-enforcement bodies when a valid legal order compels disclosure
How We Protect Your Data
We use standard safeguards for collected data. No internet-connected system can be guaranteed secure, however, so we cannot promise that a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
This website is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a person under 18. If we learn that a minor supplied such data, we will delete it promptly.
Your Data Rights
Rights can vary by residence and applicable law. North Carolina's Public Records Law, Chapter 132, governs records held by government agencies, while G.S. 132-1.4 sets the dissemination boundary for criminal-investigation and listed public arrest information. Those laws do not turn this private site into a government custodian. Subject to applicable law, a visitor may:
- Request deletion of personal data
- Ask for access to personal data we hold about that visitor
- Object to certain forms of processing
- Request correction of inaccurate personal data
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised. An updated version will appear here with a new effective date, so visitors should review the page periodically for changes.
Effective date: August 2, 2026