Why blur your license plate?

[RockMonkey]

Why do people always blur their license plate in pictures of their vehicles posted on the internet? There must be a good reason, since so many people do it. I don't get it though. Why? Every time you leave your house thousands of people have a clear opportunity to read your license plate. Why would it matter if they read it on the internet?

 

[Greg]

 

[Shawn]

:freak::freak: = :tara:

 

[RockMonkey]

Come on. I've seen you do it. You must have had a reason...

 

[Meat_]

For the same reason you don't post your email, phone number, address, full name or social security number.

 

[Milner]

For the same reason you don't post your email, phone number, address, full name or social security number.

Pretty much....scarey, but anyone can go to the DMV, fill out a form, provide ID, and get you name and address from your plate #. Unless you "protect" it when you register the vehicle....

 

[RockMonkey]

For the same reason you don't post your email, phone number, address, full name or social security number.

Sorry, that doesn't make any sense to me. You'll have to explain it to me better than that.

People don't post their email because spam-bots can pick it out and send all kinds of crap to your email address. Posting your license plate online is not going to fill your email with porn. Not the same reason.

People don't post their phone number because they don't want people to call them (I can only assume). Posting your license plate is not going to cause people to call you. Not the same reason.

People don't post their address because they don't want people to know where they live (could there be any other reason?). Posting your license plate will not tell people where you live (unless you happen to work at the DMV, but then they can tell where you live anyway...). Not the same reason.

I don't know why people have a problem posting their name. Does anyone have a problem posting their name? Let's see if I do... Braden Kemp. Huh, nope. I don't get this one, but again license plate does not equal name, so not the same reason.

People don't post their SSN because it's a private piece of information that can be used for identity theft. Nobody can steal your identity by reading your license plate. Not the same reason.

Again, I'm sure there is a good reason, but I can't figure out what it is. Or is it just paranoia?

 

[RockMonkey]

Pretty much....scarey, but anyone can go to the DMV, fill out a form, provide ID, and get you name and address from your plate #. Unless you "protect" it when you register the vehicle....

Aha! Now we're getting somewhere. I did not know that. Huh, I gotta go to the DMV site and check this out.

 

[Meat_]

...because it's a private piece of information that can be used for identity theft...

There's your answer. Anyone one of the things I named off can be used to get any and all of the other information. There are legal channels to do it, but the illegal channels are faster.

 

[RockMonkey]

Hmm... The DMV site says differently... http://dmv.utah.gov/privacy.html It basically says there are only certain circumstances that they can release that information. Most people can not just "go to the DMV, fill out a form, provide ID, and get you name and address from your plate #."

 

[Meat_]

...Let's see if I do... Braden Kemp...

I'll bet that 95% of the regulars on here don't even know my first name, let alone my full name.

Ignorance is bliss on the internet, if more people had a clue at what can be (and is) done they wouldn't be quite so free with personal info of any kind.

 

[RockMonkey]

There's your answer. Anyone one of the things I named off can be used to get any and all of the other information. There are legal channels to do it, but the illegal channels are faster.

But... Thousands of people see your plate every day. If people were using license plates to steal people's identities then everyone's identity would be stolen all the time. By blurring it out on RME you're only preventing a tiny fraction of the people who see it every day from reading it.

 

[Meat_]

Hmm... The DMV site says differently... http://dmv.utah.gov/privacy.html It basically says there are only certain circumstances that they can release that information. Most people can not just "go to the DMV, fill out a form, provide ID, and get you name and address from your plate #."

Do you remember Wenzel? And that was just a group of people using more or less legal means.... you get someone who knows what they are doing, someone who steals identities for a living

 

[RockMonkey]

I'll bet that 95% of the regulars on here don't even know my first name, let alone my full name.

Ignorance is bliss on the internet, if more people had a clue at what can be (and is) done they wouldn't be quite so free with personal info of any kind.

That's why I started the thread. I don't want to be ignorant. Educate me. How is posting my license plate number going to hurt me any more than having it in plain site in public does?

 

[Meat_]

But... Thousands of people see your plate every day. If people were using license plates to steal people's identities then everyone's identity would be stolen all the time. By blurring it out on RME you're only preventing a tiny fraction of the people who see it every day from reading it.

The best identity to steal is someone who lives across the country or world, because it puts more distance between the thief and the victim which makes it much much much harder to solve... not to mention jurisdictional problems.

 

[RockMonkey]

Do you remember Wenzel? And that was just a group of people using more or less legal means.... you get someone who knows what they are doing, someone who steals identities for a living

No, I don't remember Wenzel.. Was someone trying to track someone down on Pirate a while back? Sounds familiar. Got a link?

 

[Meat_]

Plus the type of person who can find your info out in seconds from a plate number is the type of person who likes to sit in front of their computer, not the type of person who likes to go out and read license plate numbers.

 

[Meat_]

Charlie Wenzel grab your popcorn

 

[Jinx]

I think I agree with Meat and Greg, go ahead see the plate on my 3/4 ton dodge, there are a million out there, but if some freak on the internet wants to know where they can find my PILE O PARTs, run my plate and come and take it home when I am not there...

That would be the reason I would blurr my plate, (If I could, I am too lazy to figure out how) keeping people from knowing where my junk is. I am not saying that this will keep everyone safe but its a lot like locks on doors, a credit card or a cinder block can get me passed most of them if I really want to but for "most" people it is enough keep them out.

Does that make sense?

 

[Meat_]

Also there is the possibility that the greenies will take your plate number (in a pic that proves you aren't just a mall crawler) and have their way with it.