Why obscure your license plate in photos here?

[The Real Maverick]

I do it because everyone else it doing it and I want to fit in with the trendy folks.

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[Dad]

Consider there might be some people here who would rather not give out information due to their professions or personal relationships.

 

[SLJ]

My wife's motorcycle plate was duplicated. She had pictures on-line of it showing the plate number. Took about six months to get them to stop billing us for bridge and highway tolls. Had to file a police report that the plate was stolen and get her a new plate and then send the police report in to get them to remove her old plate from the toll system. Covering the license plate number in photos is a heck of a lot easier.

 

[Tim d]

You mean you don't drive around with a picture of your hand covering your license plate?

I‘ve noticed that some here make sure to obscure their license plate when posting photos of their truck, and I was wondering: why? After all, anyone on the street can see and read the license plate. So it’s no secret. And if there was some risk to having someone read your license plate, wouldn’t someone nearby represent a greater threat to you than someone on the Internet, who is likely to be hundreds or even thousands of miles away? No one (other than a cop) can read your license plate and get any personal information about you from your state’s DMV. So I guess I don’t understand how there is any risk to having my license plate visible in a photo here. Can anyone clue me in about the risk?

 

[MavTime]

Sharing anything online is a slippery slope, so why add more KY gel?

 

[Bigred]

Consider there might be some people here who would rather not give out information due to their professions or personal relationships.

EXACTLY!

 

[SLJ]

You mean you don't drive around with a picture of your hand covering your license plate?

People search on line for a matching vehicle model/color like theirs with the plate showing so a duplicate plate will match and won't be as easy to detect. They really don't want one from their area, just from somewhere else in the State. Easiest place to find one is on a forum or group for their vehicle.
Laugh all you want. Took us six months to get my wife's motorcycle plate straightened out so she wouldn't keep getting bills for tolls.

 

[Dudley]

Your small area of local security risk turns into a world wide security risk. It's that simple.

Remember, everyone, there is ... The Dark Web.
Limit access in every way possible.
Change internet passwords regularly ESPECIALLY if it is one where you have given sensitive info.
Consider all the Data Breaches of financial institutions that are SUPPOSED to have VERY GOOD cyber security.
Sadly, the wickedness of man is (still) great in the earth.
Notice, you only see what state I live in.

 

[Gonzo chris]

Well, with being in the Witness Protection Program and all....

Is this henry?

 

[LSchicago]

Not paranoid, so I don't cover mine.

 

[Montana]

Remember, everyone, there is ... The Dark Web.
Limit access in every way possible.
Change internet passwords regularly ESPECIALLY if it is one where you have given sensitive info.
Consider all the Data Breaches of financial institutions that are SUPPOSED to have VERY GOOD cyber security.
Sadly, the wickedness of man is (still) great in the earth.
Notice, you only see what state I live in.

Yep, totally agree.

The sad part is all these companies have clauses where after a certain amount of (very small) time they can sell our "data" to other companies. I mean, you can't even browse the internet with pop-up and ad blockers efficiently anymore because most companies have been sold the work arounds. Same goes for VPN's unless you are manually creating one and even then, good luck accessing certain websites because they'll just block your traffic entirely without the whole "captcha" work around for the known masked IP's.

Even just using google search to look somewhere up, if you have search history set to remember anything, the next time you use android auto it will display those locations you searched for - outside of your vehicle and outside of maps entirely - as a suggested trip.

Now factor in all these security things that use your already fragile identity with the fact they also use fingerprint and facial recognition and voilà - there goes your privacy. If you ever become a target for any stupid reason, "they" are going to know the easiest way to get you based off the millions of bread crumbs these companies hold on to and sadly, that we allow them to in the age of information. Keep in mind, "they" can be anyone that pays to get that info.

Based off a license plate alone, you can get the address where someone lives. I'd say that's pretty reckless information to be sharing publically online to any random stranger. We've already heard stories of people being tracked down because of it.

But sure, call me paranoid. I'll gladly accept that terminology! Whatever you think "they" are doing, it's worse. It's so much worse.

Some people just don't learn until that shit hits them in the face though. I've had my identity stolen. It wasn't fun. And that was with me practicing OPSEC.

 

[WoodWorks]

I'm trying to envision a scenario where some nefarious criminal decides to get rich by randomly searching the web for a photo of a license plate mounted to the cheapest truck available today. Especially when that criminal can wander out on to the street and see thousands of license plates mounted to more expensive vehicles. Bottom line: I'm really not that worried about protecting myself from anyone that stupid.

 

[fossil]

Yep, totally agree.

The sad part is all these companies have clauses where after a certain amount of (very small) time they can sell our "data" to other companies. I mean, you can't even browse the internet with pop-up and ad blockers efficiently anymore because most companies have been sold the work arounds. Same goes for VPN's unless you are manually creating one and even then, good luck accessing certain websites because they'll just block your traffic entirely without the whole "captcha" work around for the known masked IP's.

Even just using google search to look somewhere up, if you have search history set to remember anything, the next time you use android auto it will display those locations you searched for, outside of your vehicle and outside of maps entirely, as a suggested trip.

Now factor in all these security things that use your already fragile identity with the fact they also use fingerprint and facial recognition and viola - there goes your privacy. If you ever become a target for any stupid reason, "they" are going to know the easiest way to get you based off the millions of bread crumbs these companies hold on to and sadly, that we allow them to in the age of information. Keep in mind, "they" can be anyone that pays to get that info.

Based off a license plate alone, you can get the address where someone lives. I'd say that's pretty reckless information to be sharing publically online to any random stranger. We've already heard stories of people being tracked down because of it.

But sure, call me paranoid. I'll gladly accept that terminology! Whatever you think "they" are doing, it's worse. It's so much worse.

Some people just don't learn until that shit hits them in the face though. I've had my identity stolen. It wasn't fun. And that was with me practicing OPSEC.

agreed, I'm left wondering the motivation of those advocating against blurring plate info.

 

[Montana]

I'm trying to envision a scenario where some nefarious criminal decides to get rich by randomly searching the web for a photo of a license plate mounted to the cheapest truck available today. Especially when that criminal can wander out on to the street and see thousands of license plates mounted to more expensive vehicles. Bottom line: I'm really not that worried about protecting myself from anyone that stupid.

You continue to miss the entire point. We already knew you were trolling with a post from the 1st one you made. You never cared about the answer - you just wanted to share your ignorance and scoff at those who understand the simple stuff.

Do you really want to play this game? Your license plates leads to more things. Once I have that, I get your address, your phone numbers, then research your social media profiles based off your names. One could even obtain your IP and get aliases you use like the one you are currently using to mask your personal information on this forum (ironic, isn't it?). Now I have everything I need to know based off pictures and small pieces of information. I know what you look like, your family looks like, where you live, your routines, your habits, where you work and the rest is dependent on how much someone is willing to pay for that information because trust me - someone does want it regardless of how broke you are.

It might not be valuable to you, but if they can open up accounts in your name or use it in any way, they will.

agreed, I'm left wondering the motivation of those advocating against blurring plate info.

Ignorance is bliss.

Honestly this thread deserves to be locked. OP is posting, always was.

 

[Dudley]

You continue to miss the entire point.

AGAIN! As soon as you hit the return/enter/send key with ANYTHING that can possibly be used to start the process of gaining info on you, it goes on the WWW, the World Wide Web! Why chance it? Driving around, in a parking lot? Only those in that lot or on the road see it.

Kind of like, I think, being a Vietnam Veteran, doing something that exposes me to a small bit of enemy fire. Pick off one at a time instead of launch an attack. We wouldn't risk a whole squad for one harassing enemy soldier. could be a trap. I went out to start our motor pool generator at daybreak once and I heard three rounds come very close to my head and there were no more. Same with mortars. Three and gone before noticed. Thankfully first one went long. The other two hit our motor pool.
Why wouldn't an evil person go after small amounts over and over again that will not be tracked down - a waste of time - and instead a new card is issued and the amount is covered? Why not go after the small amounts in the accounts of every day people? Less chance of getting caught. Kind of like shop lifters going after small things many times instead of everything at once.
DON'T RISK IT! It is simply being cautious.
NONE of the pictures I have posted of our Maverick even have the plate in the picture.
I also regularly clear ALL my search history. I am willing to have to do the extra step of a text message to log in to my bank account rather that risk ...

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