Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered into a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider operating that feature. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. Iowa Criminal History does not keep or log those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email or other direct message may be retained long enough to respond and maintain the related correspondence. It remains within the site team unless disclosure is required by law.
Data We Gather Automatically
When a visitor loads an Iowa Criminal History page, the servers automatically receive basic technical and usage details:
- Page-view timestamps
- The referring website, when one is available
- Visited pages and the time spent on them
- Browser name and version
- Device type and operating system
- The device's assigned IP address
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. They and outside analytics services help combine traffic information, such as which pages receive the most visits and where sessions end. A visitor can block cookies through browser controls, although doing so may change how some site functions behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Diagnosing errors and other technical problems
- Maintaining site availability and performance
- Routing a query to the selected search partner
- Measuring which content is useful or needs improvement
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Iowa Criminal History does not maintain, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal records. Its reference material identifies routes to Iowa DCI, Iowa Courts Online, the Iowa Department of Corrections, the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, and custodians in Iowa's 99 counties. The site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visitor data is not turned into consumer reports or criminal-record profiles about other people.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes that appear on some pages. A submission to one of those tools is governed by that company's privacy policy rather than this policy. The provider, not Iowa Criminal History, decides how long to retain data and when to share it. Review those terms before entering a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Iowa agencies, courts, county sheriffs and clerks, legal-aid resources, or outside search providers. Once a visitor follows an outbound link, the destination's privacy policy controls. Read that policy before supplying personal information.
Advertising companies may use their own systems to follow activity across websites and select targeted ads. Iowa Criminal History does not operate that cross-site tracking.
Who Might See Your Data
Iowa Criminal History does not sell personal information. Data may be available to:
- Analytics providers measuring traffic and performance
- Search partners processing a query submitted to their tool
- Advertising networks placing ads on the pages
- Government or law-enforcement bodies acting under a valid legal order
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, commonly used safeguards protect collected information. No internet-connected service can guarantee complete security, however, and Iowa Criminal History cannot promise that a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
The site is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone younger than 18. If a minor appears to have provided information, contact the site so the material can be deleted.
Your Data Rights
Rights can vary with a visitor's location and the law that applies. Iowa Code chapter 22 governs access to records held by Iowa government bodies, while Iowa Code chapter 692 controls dissemination and subject review of Iowa criminal-history data. Those laws do not convert Iowa Criminal History into a government custodian. For information held directly by this private site, a visitor may:
- Opt out of certain processing where the applicable law provides that choice
- Request deletion of personal information held by the site
- Ask to correct inaccurate information
- Request a copy of personal information maintained about you
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised as site practices change. A revised version will appear here with an updated effective date, so visitors should review the page periodically.
Effective date: August 11, 2026