Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered in a search tool is transmitted directly to the outside provider operating that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results; we do not keep or log those search terms on our systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
We retain an email or other direct message as needed to answer it. It remains within our organization unless the law requires disclosure.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our servers automatically receive basic technical and usage details when a page loads:
- Page-view times and the pages visited
- Your device's IP address
- Browser type and version
- Operating system and device category
- Time spent on visited pages
- The referring website, when available
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. Together with analytics services, they help us understand traffic patterns, popular pages, and where visits end. You may block cookies through browser controls, although doing so can change how some site functions behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Routing a query to the selected search partner
- Maintaining site availability, speed, and operation
- Diagnosing and repairing technical problems
- Measuring which guides are useful or need improvement
- Presenting advertising that may reflect user interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
We do not keep, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal-record information. Our pages explain how to approach the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, Carroll County Circuit Clerk, Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification, and Illinois Sex Offender Registry for records those offices maintain. Illinois criminal-history dissemination is governed in part by the Uniform Conviction Information Act, 20 ILCS 2635, and Criminal Identification Act, 20 ILCS 2630. We are not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and visitor data is not compiled into consumer reports or third-party dossiers.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes displayed here. A partner's own privacy policy governs information entered into its tool, including its retention and disclosure choices. We do not control those practices, so review the applicable policy before running a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Carroll County offices, Illinois agencies, court portals, legal-aid resources, and outside search services. Once you leave this site, the destination's privacy terms apply. Review them before providing personal information.
Advertising companies may use their own systems to follow activity across websites for targeted advertising. We do not operate that tracking.
Who Might See Your Data
Personal data is not sold. It may be disclosed to:
- Analytics providers measuring site traffic and performance
- Search partners processing a query you choose to submit
- Advertising networks serving ads on the site
- Government or law-enforcement bodies acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, standard safeguards are used for information we collect. No internet system can be guaranteed completely secure, however, and 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 anyone younger than 18. If we learn that a minor supplied such data, we will delete it.
Your Data Rights
Rights may vary with your residence. In Illinois, consumer-protection matters are governed in part by the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, 815 ILCS 505. The Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, applies to public bodies and does not convert this private site into a government records office. Subject to applicable law, you may:
- Request deletion of your information
- Ask what personal data we retain about you
- Seek correction of inaccurate information
- Object to certain forms of processing
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised. A changed version becomes available on this page with a replacement effective date, so review it periodically for current practices.
Effective date: July 20, 2026