Blurring or Covering License Plates in Pics

[tbm5690]

Genuine question...why does everyone feel the need to do this? Thousands of people see your plates on the road, and have the ability to link more of you with it than can be linked in a setting like this. I don't see this as any sort of privacy or security issue, unless I am unaware of some public record that can be accessed by those who aren't LEOs with a plate number? I'm particularly confused when I see pics of vehicles not belonging to the individual posting with blurring even though the pic was taken walking down a public street.

 

[Jetronic]

you can link a social media account with the car if you know the license plate, and thus real name and adress.

 

[Hall]

Some people keep their lives as private as possible, even down to the state they might live in, so they hide their plate details. That's their business and choice. If it's a random vehicle on a road somewhere and it could be years old, it doesn't make much sense.

you can link a social media account with the car if you know the license plate, and thus real name and adress.

How ? Even police aren't allowed (at least in most states, including Ohio for sure) to randomly look up plate numbers. Do they do it ? Sure do and in most cases, they're never caught. There's definitely been cases where some have been caught. What usually happens is higher level authorities (in Ohio, it's "BCI" (Bureau of Criminal Investigations)) that investigate it because the searches are done in a state-level database, not the local police's level where they could, ummm.... hide it.

 

[Analog-1]

There is ZERO need or obligation to blurr out plates. It's public information and nobody should expect any privacy in public.

 

[eljefino]

I prefer separating my online and IRL lives.

Even if I'm selling a car, which by necessity mixes the two, I don't get involved in games of "you said..." so I treat the advertisement as an invitation to talk in person. If you can't do that, you're a troll/ not serious/ crazy etc.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I often post photos of camping vehicles and take photos without asking the owner for permission. Blocking out the plate to me is an act of respect I give to the owner in return for showing his vehicle to the world.

 

[fdcg27]

Some people keep their lives as private as possible, even down to the state they might live in, so they hide their plate details. That's their business and choice. If it's a random vehicle on a road somewhere and it could be years old, it doesn't make much sense.


How ? Even police aren't allowed (at least in most states, including Ohio for sure) to randomly look up plate numbers. Do they do it ? Sure do and in most cases, they're never caught. There's definitely been cases where some have been caught. What usually happens is higher level authorities (in Ohio, it's "BCI" (Bureau of Criminal Investigations)) that investigate it because the searches are done in a state-level database, not the local police's level where they could, ummm.... hide it.

Not that hard in Ohio.
Even private concerns can get access for a fee if they have a demonstrable need.
How else do you think a tow yard can contact an owner about a vehicle picked up from a private lot with nothing more than a plate number to identify the owner, just as one example?

 

[KevinMalone]

No need to overshare information on the internet, where it is accessible to anyone and bad actors.

 

[vavavroom]

There's no legal requirement to obscure the tags of vehicles taken in a public space, especially if the license plate is not the main subject in the picture. However, I would not be happy if someone were to post a picture of my vehicle with the tags legible online and I consider obscuring the plates of other people's cars an act of courtesy. The picture with the tags establishes a car's and maybe the driver's whereabouts at a certain time. The tags are also a direct connection to the identity of the owner. Those who say everyone sees your tags in public may not realize there's a huge difference between seeing something and perpetuating it.

 

[wings&wheels]

For my own plates, it is a 10 second act that provides some measure of anonymity in our connected world. For others' plates, I do it as a common courtesy especially to others who may not have the same expectations of privacy or lack thereof as many now do.

 

[vavavroom]

How's @Jdeere562 going to hunt me down at the In-N-Out parking lot if he doesn't know my tags? Conversely, I have shown my puppy Cuddles Jdeere562's picture.

 

[KrisZ]

Too many crazies on the internet, that's why. It doesn't even compare to being on the road in public.

 

[4WD]

Well, bcs that’s not really my Lamborghini …

 

[350Rocket]

I mostly do it because at least with my truck, when I posted pictures of it...I have my employers name and phone number on the doors....and I have to blur that out anyway. In case of any online crazies calling them or something.

 

[Hall]

How else do you think a tow yard can contact an owner about a vehicle picked up from a private lot with nothing more than a plate number to identify the owner, just as one example?

Do they do that or do they just hold on to it even longer, racking up daily storage fees, waiting for the owner to find it ? Then again, if you or I park our car and it's gone when we get back, aren't we calling the police ? Before (or while) towing a vehicle, the tow company has to notify the police that they've towed it. Then when the owner tells the police their car was stolen, the police tell them, "nope, it was towed to this yard. Here's their phone #.".

 

[M1Accord]

Same reason I run double blind VPN at the detriment of reduce speed to keep my privacy intact. The people who see my plates in public doesn’t get to engage in conversations with me unless they want to pay $160 per hour with 40 hrd minimum for first retainer and 1800 hrs annually afterward and I don’t even let my hair down, figuratively, with them.

 

[Jetronic]

There is ZERO need or obligation to blurr out plates. It's public information and nobody should expect any privacy in public.

That depends on your location. Probably true in the US, definitely untrue in europe. You can get in serious trouble for it.

 

[Wylie6G72]

I don't bother.

 

[fdcg27]

Do they do that or do they just hold on to it even longer, racking up daily storage fees, waiting for the owner to find it ? Then again, if you or I park our car and it's gone when we get back, aren't we calling the police ? Before (or while) towing a vehicle, the tow company has to notify the police that they've towed it. Then when the owner tells the police their car was stolen, the police tell them, "nope, it was towed to this yard. Here's their phone #.".

Around 45 years ago, I had my first real job with a GMAC branch. I was a field rep and had a company car and was making around twenty grand, living large. My job was to do field collections, repos and also dealer inventory audits, since the dealers were supposed to pay off floor-planned cars as they sold them.
Anyway, there was a phone number you could call to get any OH plate run. The purpose of this was that it was not uncommon for a guy expecting the repo man to trade cars with someone else.

 

[DuckRyder]

You would be surprised what someone with a Lexis Nexis account and a willingness to lie about a legitimate exemption can find out from a license plate number.