Blurred license plates

kipseverino

kipseverino

New member
I am missing something here? What is the point of covering, blurring or blacking out the license plate on the pictures that are posted? Is this something I should do? I know not to put my S.S.# out there for people to steal. Is there a real risk of someone stealing my license plate number?
 
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kipseverino said:
I am missing something here? What is the point of covering, blurring or blacking out the license plate on the pictures that are posted? Is this something I should do? I know not to put my S.S.# out there for people to steal. Is there a real risk of someone stealing my license plate number?
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You'll notice that on most car forums. Not sure where it all started since tons of people see your plate each day. I guess the idea is if you have a pic of your sweet stereo, someone could find your address and steal it? Or if they didn't like you they could find your address and punch you?

Safety first though I guess. The less information about you out on teh Interwebs the better. You can actually edit photos right on photobucket now, so it's pretty easy. :beer:
 
kipseverino said:
I am missing something here? What is the point of covering, blurring or blacking out the license plate on the pictures that are posted? Is this something I should do? I know not to put my S.S.# out there for people to steal. Is there a real risk of someone stealing my license plate number?
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Could be they're hiding modifications from Toyota because of warranty concerns.
 
I was never worried about someone tracking me down, I was worried the manufacturer would find out about my modifications and void my warranty.

Maybe some guys did it because they didn't want anyone to find out where their car that had $10,000 worth of stereo equipment was.

Either way it's because of theft or voiding the warranty.
 
Voiding the warranty? So, if someone that works for Toyota sees your modified rig here on the forum, the concern is that they may document it and this would void your warranty. What about when you take the vehicle in to get something repaired or replaced on your warranty, ....., are they not going to see the modifications then with their own eyes?

I think the blurring out of plates goes back to the old days when the concern was not openly displaying your plate that someone could get your name and address from, even though hundreds of other drivers see your plate each and every day while you are out driving. Something along the same lines of concerns over identity theft. However, these days, I can assure you, not too many people surf the forums looking for license plate numbers. There are too many other ways to get your information.
 
Yes,every day hundreds of people may see your plates but they are just driving and don't have a personal connection to a person like we do with members here and it is just a courtesy if I post pics of other people's rigs. Some people don't care and I really don't worry about it too much but I still blur my own so it's not so easy for a lurker/thief to track my vehicle.
 
actually blurring out your license plate is a GOOD idea on the internet, especially if you have a modified performance car. Some mods void your warranty, so if something happens, most put their cars back to stock and then take it into the dealer. Most of the time they cannot tell, unless you flashed your ECU etc (but even then theres a way to put it back to stock).

Dealers do troll forums looking for this stuff. They have also been known to hang out at drag strips and write down license plate numbers. Most dealers can and will void your warranty if they catch you at the local drag strip. So several of my friends remove their plates or conceal them when racing.

True, thousands of people see your plates everyday. But I can guarantee that those same people don't know what exactly is under your hood or in your ride, like people on the forums do
 
It might be possible that the dealers will check up on any mods that void warranties, but it would be really tough and time consuming for them to find evidence, unless you are doing crazy mods and posting pics all over the place...

If you are worried about someone tracking you down to find where you live based on a picture of your licence plate and sweet stereo, then you might as well not post pics at all. Blurring your plates won't stop someone who wants it from finding you. I know it's scarry, but with technology now days... bad people can find exactly where your photo was taken: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/technology/personaltech/12basics.html

So just be sure you get good insurance.
 
I think we should change our license plates to our cell phones. That way you can tell the guy in front of you to get the hell out of the way!:roadkill:
 
i've never worried about blurring my license plate. when's the last time you heard about some one stealing something based on a license plate number they found on the internet?
 
I have no probs displaying my license plate. Heck, i drive my 4R displaying it anyway. :confused: If someone wanna come by mah house, they're most likely welcome. My guns are loaded. :D
 
years ago, an actress on the TV sitcom "My Sister Sam" was murdered by a stalker who tracked down her home address via her license plate/DMV records. i believe that incident had sweeping effects nationwide on privacy as it applies to how much personal information can be obtained from a license plate.
 
I'd be more worried about the guy I go ballistic on while driving tracking me down than I would about someone on the internet, nevertheless... less is more when it comes to sharing identifiers.
 
Years back i had an Acura RSX with some nice Volk Wheels and mods. Well long story short i decided to sell the wheels and i snapped a pic of the car so a potential buyer could see what they looked like on the car. I posted it up on Craigslist, I didn't blur my plate. A crooked tow company that has been shut down and the subject of a huge lawsuit where i live towed it. They had contracts with the city and apt complexes etc to tow illegally parked vehicles. they pulled that crap on me even though i wasn't parked illegally. Again long story short in court one of their drivers folded and spilled the beans on the operation. It turned out they would look at Craigslist ads among other paper media and tow vehicles so they could sell their parts while impounded. Those F***s had my car in their tow yard and took my Volks. I was one of many in a lawsuit with these guys i only received a little cash back. The big point here is that i became a victim by simply showing my license plate on the internet, it was that easy for them to find me, tow me, and punk my wheels!
 
MikesToy said:
I have no probs displaying my license plate. Heck, i drive my 4R displaying it anyway. :confused: If someone wanna come by mah house, they're most likely welcome. My guns are loaded. :D
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Why getting into trouble if we can avoid it in the first place. Thats my 2 cents.
 
Sandcrawler and SoCalBurt both started their replies with "years back" and "years ago". That was the point I was trying to make, years back and years ago, posting your license plate on TV, a public forum or in a newspaper (if anybody remembers what that is), was a big NO-NO as it would potentially open the door for people to be able to find out who you are, where you live, etc.... The license plate has now been replaced with more advanced methods. Regarding the warranty issue, I was not aware of that being done by dealers, so I learned something, however, with 137K miles on mine, the warranty is not an issue anyway, so I guess that is why I had not thought of that. Good points made by everyone though, especially Mike, ...., just keep your guns loaded.
 
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