Why do people “blur or cover” their license plates? I don’t get it, do you?

[overload]

A cop can look up your license plate so all it takes is someone who has a buddy that will look up your plate numbers. I lost a plate once and some dude called me to come get my plate where late at night I ran into a ditch. I asked him how he got my phone number and he said, he just knows someone. Like others have said the less people online know of you the better.

Edited July 12, 2018 by jms130

[LSHD]

5 hours ago, wielywilly-g said:

Probably for the same reason you don't share your location in your profile. The less personal info you post online the better of you are.

With a license plate number displayed, you may as well post your name addresss and phone number online.

 

This. Maybe one in 5000 people is crazy as a spayed cockroach. More than that read this forum. Question asked. Question answered. ?

Edited July 12, 2018 by LSHD

[Yap Yap]

2 hours ago, Bryan Bosch said:

I guess I don't get it. When I dual sport, my plate is in plain view for untold 1,000s. If someone wants a photo on the Interwebz, with a cell phone, it takes two seconds. I'm a nobody, so I don't see who would care. If you find me, tell me you're a TT'er and I'll buy you a beer. ?

Just don't slip up and post youself doing a wheelie one day because you will regret it.

[Russhole]

#justaintcare 

[NoFiddyPilot]

26 minutes ago, Yap Yap said:

Just don't slip up and post youself doing a wheelie one day because you will regret it.

I'll hand you 100 bucks when it happens. ? Just don't start counting... Maybe if I wheelied across the police chief's lawn, but in general, I'm on nobody's radar screen. If that was a problem, I've have been nailed a 100 times, especially when I rode supermoto in so cal. Impossible to have one on the road and not play. Sort of like having a 67hp dual sport come to think of it... ?

[Fatt_Tones]

[Ben500RR-S]

To think that scumbags, or anyone else, might be able to do anything with all that untapped potential of license plate numbers, that is the best one yet.  

That there are those out there that have NOTHING better to do with their time than go on online forums to mine for plate numbers when they are all over every street in the United States of America is beyond laughable.  

I'm one that wants to get AWAY from people, not find them or have anything more to do with them.  

All the fools online, that might, MIGHT, want to do something, are not using license plate numbers when there are far easier ways to do their dumb-stuff.  

Edited July 12, 2018 by Ben500RR-S

[RevyRoamer]

I was told that it is so easy to find out all this personal information about someone by their license plate.

So i told this person to try it out, and every time she tried the information was all wrong. Sure a police officer can find out, but unless a cop is surfing the internet running every plate in a photo, and it comes back to someone with outstanding arrest warrants who cares. That guy or gal with warrants should expect a visit and ride in a cop car, but unless you are hiding from the cops it shouldn't matter. 

And for most guys the biggest fear is a crazy ex gf finding out what town you moved to while escaping from her. 

Or geez maybe I should remove the plates from all of my trucks, trailers and bikes after all, then I can anonymously drive and ride around in my tinfoil hat, with no license plate visible in case someone else sees it. 

[NoFiddyPilot]

My own state DMV is a bigger threat than any photos I post...

https://www.local10.com/news/florida-makes-63m-selling-drivers-info

[Fatt_Tones]

 

All the over 50 guys at my work stick a post-it note (sticky note) over the web cam on every computer monitor.  They seem to think they are being watched.  The other day after reading an article the one guy in great surprise asked me “do you know Google knows your location?”.  ?

 

But I must confess I have blurred my plate in many posts.  Mainly out of habit because it was the thing everyone does.  But I always wondered why....lol.

[Yap Yap]

1 hour ago, Bryan Bosch said:

I'll hand you 100 bucks when it happens. ? Just don't start counting... Maybe if I wheelied across the police chief's lawn, but in general, I'm on nobody's radar screen. If that was a problem, I've have been nailed a 100 times, especially when I rode supermoto in so cal. Impossible to have one on the road and not play. Sort of like having a 67hp dual sport come to think of it... ?

If I don't like you I can use your video doing a wheelie + your admission online with the licence plate number to report you to the police. They have their discretion but if they don't like you for some reason they can slap you with reckless driving with plenty of evidence. I for example removed the EPA crap and blocked it off on my dual sport, this is a federal offense and carries huge fines. If I post my plates and someone wants to be a dick to me then it's very possible to get into trouble. I am not a lawyer so don't quote me too much. Blurring my plates is too easy for what potential problems I might face if for some reason someone out there wants to get me.

[NoFiddyPilot]

8 minutes ago, Yap Yap said:

If I don't like you I can use your video doing a wheelie + your admission online with the licence plate number to report you to the police. They have their discretion but if they don't like you for some reason they can slap you with reckless driving with plenty of evidence. I for example removed the EPA crap and blocked it off on my dual sport, this is a federal offense and carries huge fines. If I post my plates and someone wants to be a dick to me then it's very possible to get into trouble. I am not a lawyer so don't quote me too much. Blurring my plates is too easy for what potential problems I might face if for some reason someone out there wants to get me.

Dude, someone stole my credit card a year ago and used it to buy a firearms paraphernalia online.  I called the vendor in question and got the buyer's information including the shipping address.  I found the dude's criminal record online and he's a felon (cocaine dealer/sales,distribution). I called the local police in his area and they couldn't have cared less. Seriously. I'm absolutely sure that you could report it to the local police but they will do nothing, nada... Maybe if you caused injury or an accident, but just  a wheelie... snowballs' chance.

[RevyRoamer]

1 minute ago, Bryan Bosch said:

Dude someone stole my credit card a year ago and used it to buy a Firearms paraphernalia online.  I called the vendor in question and got the buyer's information including the shipping address.  I found the dudes criminal record online and he's a felon. I called the local police in his area and they couldn't have cared less. Seriously. I'm absolutely sure that you could report it to the local police but they will do nothing.

But if you stole a truck loaded with donuts it would be a man hunt of epic proportions lol

[Padilen]

I worked for our county, late shift. I had an event happen so I got the plate number. The event- vehicle was on the side of the road, not completely off road, hood up. As a slowly, went by a guy jumped in front of my vehicle, I swerved around him. Got to a "safe" place about a mile away. Told not to stay in area and go home. I had described the guy by tattoos & clothing. And the vehicle, I had actually got plate as I approached it, as it was odd to me. He was gone, but vehicle was there when sheriff responded. What was questionable legally, was Sheriff telling me who and what their past criminal activity was. I didn't use this information against the individual. It was only given to me, to make me aware of the potential of the individual. Had I not been an employee that was vetted, I'm sure the info wouldn't have been given out.

He had a conviction, charged with 2nd degree murder and took a plea for manslaughter. Had been released from prison and on probation. His victim was another county employee's relative. Sheriff knew who it was by me describing the tattoos.

So hey don't want to be found - forget about blurring your plate and blur your tattoo's.

FYI, sheriff had no reason to "go" after him and did not. I'm sure it was recorded. So if anyone else had a similar or worse encounter, he'd be one questioned.

 

 

[NoFiddyPilot]

2 minutes ago, RevyRoamer said:

But if you stole a truck loaded with donuts it would be a man hunt of epic proportions lol

This dude bought an aimpoint red dot scope for picatinny rail and other firearms stuff as a felon. I thought the local police in S. Florida might care, but I kid you not, they blew it off. I guess a drug dealer felon likely with ARs doesn't bother them too much. Ewwwwkay!

[Pipester]

5 hours ago, Dirt Mcgurt said:

If someone posted a fraudulent ad with your bike pics and used that to rob someone wouldn't you rather not have your name/license plate tied to it? 

I’m a good citizen and pay my taxes. If that’s what soap dodgers do then that’s on them. They have millions of scams and rob people everyday. So, no I don’t feel guilty. Besides, I’m sure that’s not why people blur their plates out. It’s more for paranoia. 

[RevyRoamer]

3 minutes ago, Bryan Bosch said:

This dude bought an aimpoint red dot scope for picatinny rail and other firearms stuff as a fellow. I thought the local police in S. Florida might care, but I kid you not, they blew it off.

Crazy!!! 

Just credit card theft alone should be more than enough to go after the person, even if it was only used to buy a hamburger, not weapons.

[Pipester]

7 hours ago, Yap Yap said:

Because it links your online activities to your real life identity, which is with all due respect is a stupid thing to do if you care about your privacy.

You have shared some political posts before, luckily you live in the US where you somewhat have freedom of speech. Make that mistake somewhere else and you will be tracked down. You might even be tracked down for saying something offensive to the wrong person. It's not as hard as you think to look up your plate.

Lucky for you I live in Canada. Do you pre crinkle your tinfoil hats before you go in your bunker? Or shape them after you wrap your melon. 

[Pipester]

2 hours ago, Yap Yap said:

Just don't slip up and post youself doing a wheelie one day because you will regret it.

Thanks mom. 

 

[LRB]

The main reason people put covers on their license plates (the clear plastic cover) is to beat photocop. The theory is that it has a special reflective property that prevents the photocop from taking a picture of the plate to send the driver a speeding ticket or a ticket for running a red light.

Here is another method people are using as well: https://www.photoblocker.com/