Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
Names and locations submitted through a search box go straight to the outside company that runs the tool. That provider handles the query and returns the response. Our own systems neither retain nor record the terms entered into those searches.
Messages and Contact Submissions
We may keep an email for the time needed to respond. Its contents are not shared beyond our organization unless a lawful and valid requirement compels disclosure.
Data We Gather Automatically
When a page opens, the server automatically receives ordinary technical information such as:
- Your device's assigned Internet Protocol address
- The name and version of the browser in use
- Your operating system and general device category
- Pages viewed and the approximate time spent on them
- A referring website, when one supplied the visit
- The date and time associated with each request
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files stored on a device. They help reveal broad use patterns, such as which pages draw traffic and where visits end. Analytics companies may aggregate those signals. A browser can refuse cookies, but disabling them may alter how some site features work.
What We Do With This Data
- Operating the site and maintaining reasonable page speed
- Routing a submitted query to the appropriate search partner
- Assessing which material visitors use and where improvements are needed
- Diagnosing errors, outages, and other technical problems
- Displaying advertising that may reflect inferred interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Ashe County Criminal History does not build, keep, or sell a personal criminal-record database. It describes official request paths through the sheriff, North Carolina courts, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and North Carolina Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry. Government access can be governed by the North Carolina Public Records Law in Chapter 132 and other confidentiality laws, but those official records do not become our files. We are not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and visitor information is never compiled into a consumer report or personal record profile.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information submitted to one of those tools falls under that company's privacy policy rather than this policy. Each partner controls its own retention, processing, and disclosure rules. Read those terms before sending a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the Ashe County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina court portals, state agencies, legal-aid organizations, or outside search services. Following one leaves our site, and the destination's privacy rules then apply. Check those rules before providing personal information.
Some advertising companies may observe activity across multiple websites to select interest-based ads. Any such tracking occurs through the advertiser's systems, not ours.
Who Might See Your Data
Personal information is not sold. Limited data may nevertheless be available to:
- Outside search providers processing a query you submit
- Analytics vendors measuring visits and technical performance
- Advertising networks serving placements on the site
- Government or law-enforcement authorities acting under a valid legal order
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, generally accepted safeguards are used for information we collect. No internet-connected system can be guaranteed secure, however. We work to reduce risk but cannot promise that unauthorized access or a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
The site is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a person younger than 18. If we learn that a minor supplied such data, we will remove it promptly.
Your Data Rights
North Carolina G.S. 75-1.1 prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Other rights may arise under the law where a visitor lives. Whether or not a statute requires a particular response, a user may ask us to:
- Provide a copy of personal information kept about that user
- Correct personal information shown to be inaccurate
- Delete personal data that is eligible for removal
- Stop certain forms of processing where an opt-out is available
Updates to This Policy
We may revise these practices from time to time. The updated policy will be posted here and marked with the date it takes effect.
Effective date: August 1, 2026