Is there an official policy of posting vehicle images with license plates visible?

[dbias]

I’ve never worried about my license plate in photos. That being said for an exotic car (read wealthy people) may have concerns about someone on the internet seeing it and tracking them down and robbing them.
Could this be done in a parking lot? Sure but when posted online it exponentially increases the eyes that see it forever

 

[Reggaemon]

Google and Bing street views always blur out plates.....just saying.

 

[ZeeOSix]

what kind of information can you get from someones license plate number - Google Search

But someone could use the plate number on certain sites like Edmund's, etc to see what the vehicle is worth, or send off for a buy offer etc if they are a bit off their rocker. There are a lot of sycos running around these days, lol. And yeah, Google maps blurs stuff out for a reason.

 

[Thermo1223]

Google and Bing street views always blur out plates.....just saying.

That's because they are taking actual pictures of streets and tying them to an address plus they also do it for faces too. They do not want ANY ounce of liability when it comes to being a corporation.

 

[nomas]

I have seen people on Facebook post a rant about somebody hijacking a handicapped parking spot and the plate is visible in the pic . The replies seem to be more about the plate being shown than about the jerkoff being parked illegally .

 

[Astro14]

Blanking out something that is openly visible in public is akin to wearing a mask alone in a car, or walking down an empty street. It's nuts. It's only because of someone else may have done it, or fear...........or really ignorance.

Random car?

Maybe.

Your car, posted on BITOG, and it’s one more element of personally identifiable information. Look up that plate, get your full name and address.

That is something folks might not want disclosed.

 

[TiGeo]

Just say no to license plate scribbles.

 

[wemay]

It isn't paranoia at all. Just a courtesy. I overthink motor oil, not whether or not i blurred a plate, which i have and haven't done in the past.

 

[TiGeo]

Come at me boomers! Also in before "tracking down and robbing"...opps.too late! If you are super private and use no other social media but forums where you maintain anonymity then ok but most folks now have so much info out there that a license plate should be the least of their concerns.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

It isn't paranoia at all. Just a courtesy. I overthink motor oil, not whether or not i blurred a plate, which i have and haven't done in the past.

MAYBE? My actions could have been called paranoia or just plain nutz... with the last 76 Chevelle I suppose .
All I did was: #1 Installed a manual / remote located power cut off switch from Summit Racing.
#2 Installed one of those steering column locks.
#3 Moved car from front garage (with windows) and stored in my back yard shop. Regular door locks were not enough.
All I did was install wire over side windows and added extra pad locks on the door tracks so no one could open without combination.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Come at me boomers! Also I'm before "tracking down and robbing"...opps.too late! If you are super private and use no other social media but forums where you maintain anonymity then ok but most folks now have so much info out there that a license plate should be the least of their concerns.

View attachment 152907View attachment 152908

I gotta see what those are worth on Edmunds ... FYI, when you run the plate through, it tells what the VIN is. Hummm ... Carmax doesn't want to give you much for that 2003 Passat.

Even if someone couldn't find much out with a plate or VIN, I still wouldn't want people knowing the info on my vehicles.

 

[atikovi]

Look up that plate, get your full name and address.

No private individual can do that for the last 20 years or more.

 

[TiGeo]

I gotta see what those are worth on Edmunds ... FYI, when you run the plate through, it tells what the VIN is. Hummm ...

Even if someone couldn't find much out with a VIN, I wouldn't want people knowing the VINs of my vehicles.

Why? What can they do with this info? Everyday you drive and park somewhere I can grab a pic of your VIN.

 

[TiGeo]

No private individual can do that for the last 20 years or more.

I paid to get info on an abandoned car a few years ago from the plate but it gives no personal info...only reg history.

 

[TiGeo]

I gotta see what those are worth on Edmunds ... FYI, when you run the plate through, it tells what the VIN is. Hummm ... Carmax doesn't want to give you much for that 2003 Passat.

Even if someone couldn't find much out with a plate or VIN, I still wouldn't want people knowing the info on my vehicles.

Now go look at carsandbids.com and search "W8" and look at all the wagons that have sold and see what the average price is. You can find mine and get the VIN...knock yourself out kid.

 

[TiGeo]

To me if someone could get your name/Addy from your plate quickly on their phone that could be problematic. You cut someone off etc. and they show up at your house. But you can't do that for that very reason. Now on FB it's a bit different because your name is there with the post if the other person happened to see it.

 

[nomas]

The same reason you can photograph people in public . You have no expectation of privacy in a public place .

 

[FishFry]

Random car?

Maybe.

Your car, posted on BITOG, and it’s one more element of personally identifiable information. Look up that plate, get your full name and address.

That is something folks might not want disclosed.

Here ya go - now try to look it up




Also - cover your license plates to preserve your "privacy"/prevent criminal activity,
and than tell us how that worked out for you.

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

Here ya go - now try to look it up


View attachment 152977

Also - cover your license plates to preserve your "privacy"/prevent criminal activity,
and than tell us how that worked out for you.

Also - cover your license plates to preserve your "privacy"/prevent criminal activity,
and than tell us how that works

This is pretty much my whole point here.

Look. In times previous, and if it is happening now at least it is not made known and causing drama.... I've been followed around and heckled across the Internet. Every once in awhile, this drama would spill over into real life. Three times I can recall was 1. (Local police department, marked unit) "is that water?" Me: "Yes it is" (they look, continue on about their day.) Twice more: Local PD surrounds house.. once, a welfare check. A second time, a SWATting attempt (2012-ish.) SO there is SOME kind of way it can tie in.

But I still believe it doesn't come from license plates. What I'm getting is that, it has to be some kind of agent or service that can only hope to get actually addresses from MVR record. LexisNexis is more a credit database. It is true there is alllllllllllll sorts of stuff in your "file".. a LOT of which may not be yours. There was a time I would check. Not anymore.

Anyone with a cellular phone in their pocket, OR someone dedicated to find out where you live.. If they really wanted to (and there is nothing them) they could Google everything you post (business names, street names etc) and make some kind of a plan to stalk the general area. It would be sick of the people that do and have done that.. and this is why, I also posted about the general context of if plates can be posted on this board. I appear to recall @wwilson once called it "rude" and I've made effort to scribble out all plates since.

I find this discussion fascinating, because at the peak of all the drama/sickness, I had people claiming to be kinds of Feds and may actually have had some ties... involved in the targeting. I DO believe they could get a cop they know to "run plates." Having been in the back of cars, they have a "random" entry mode.. as well as can type in plate. You'd never know if it wasn't on a patrol. Now, good police like @bubbanik (the kind of officers we need! Like him) would never, but.. Good Ol' Boys they play different rules maybe but still... for vast majority.

Which again, brings up the point of this thread... Should plates be scribbled? (Which, yes, are probably from the street, or parking lots they will soon be moved from?) OR is it Werboten

 

[TiGeo]

Look. In times previous, and if it is happening now at least it is not made known and causing drama.... I've been followed around and heckled across the Internet. Every once in awhile, this drama would spill over into real life. Three times I can recall was 1. (Local police department, marked unit) "is that water?" Me: "Yes it is" (they look, continue on about their day.) Twice more: Local PD surrounds house.. once, a welfare check. A second time, a SWATting attempt (2012-ish.) SO there is SOME kind of way it can tie in.

Huh? So you think online pics of your plate are why the police did this things?

What do you mean you have been followed around and heckled across the internet?