Was behind a 959 yesterday....

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by stateofidleness

I could run the plate, find the owner's information (phone number, home address, known asoociates, etc). Knowing he probably is wealthy, I would presume his home would be fully stocked with things of like value. Criminals do their due diligence as well.

It's respectful to block the plate number so as not to provide easy searching of the owner's information.

Clear enough?

Rediculous. Anyone who sees the license plate could try to find someone's address. If it worked that way, criminals could just hang out at exotic car meets to make a living.

[stateofidleness]

how do you know they don't?

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by stateofidleness

how do you know they don't?

Point being that there are much easier ways to find someone's house than to troll a message board hoping someone will post the license plate of an expensive car.

[Overdrive]

I wish they'd bring something like this back, give it a bit of a revival. Considering this thing could still put a lot of modern sports cars to shame, it'd be interesting to see an all-out, teched-out (like this was for the times) supercar from Porsche, and before anyone says it, I mean besides the 918 Spyder.

I never knew until maybe a few months ago that the body was partially made of Kevlar! How'd that not make its way into modern cars?

[stateofidleness]

It comes down to privacy.
For $30-$50, I can run anyone's plate (http://www.licenseplate.net/38_state_vehicle_plate/index.html). And that doesn't count the criminals that have connections to people at the DMV/Law Enforcement (they do for a reason). I have access to TxDot here, which allows me to run any plate (tx only of course), any time and it reveals a treasure trove of information about the individual. I'm sure there's people in every state with the same access.

Criminals can also use your plate number when they have a similar car, then when they commit the crime, guess who shows up in the searches?

Another aspect is that it can link you or incriminate you in a crime. I'm sure it's been posted on here that someone has "driven above the speed limit" occasionally. If I was someone's lawyer and I was able to connect a person's admission to speeding with their license plate as confirmation of identity, it's game over.

The only argument I've ever heard as to why they "don't care" about hiding their plate online is "hundreds of people see it everyday on the street." "Hundreds" is still less than potentially billions and once posted online, it becomes a "paper trail", a timestamp in history that you can't erase. It's also a lot easier to remain anonymous online than to walk up to someone's car on the street and take pictures of plates.

I could go on about privacy concerns and identity theft, but it's a simple decision. Don't mask it if it doesn't bother you. For some, who are probably a bit more privacy-conscious, it takes two seconds to black out.

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by stateofidleness

It comes down to privacy.
For $30-$50, I can run anyone's plate (http://www.licenseplate.net/38_state_vehicle_plate/index.html). And that doesn't count the criminals that have connections to people at the DMV/Law Enforcement (they do for a reason). I have access to TxDot here, which allows me to run any plate (tx only of course), any time and it reveals a treasure trove of information about the individual. I'm sure there's people in every state with the same access.

Criminals can also use your plate number when they have a similar car, then when they commit the crime, guess who shows up in the searches?

Another aspect is that it can link you or incriminate you in a crime. I'm sure it's been posted on here that someone has "driven above the speed limit" occasionally. If I was someone's lawyer and I was able to connect a person's admission to speeding with their license plate as confirmation of identity, it's game over.

The only argument I've ever heard as to why they "don't care" about hiding their plate online is "hundreds of people see it everyday on the street." "Hundreds" is still less than potentially billions and once posted online, it becomes a "paper trail", a timestamp in history that you can't erase. It's also a lot easier to remain anonymous online than to walk up to someone's car on the street and take pictures of plates.

I could go on about privacy concerns and identity theft, but it's a simple decision. Don't mask it if it doesn't bother you. For some, who are probably a bit more privacy-conscious, it takes two seconds to black out.

Unless a person has an "official" position that allows them access to RMV information, the dissemination of said information is otherwise protected by federal law. In some instances, the RMV will issue a redacted abstract copy of a registrant's or licensee's information . Whether or not criminals in the State of Texas have "connections" is another issue. Personally, I thought most of the criminals in Texas were more interested in running for elected office, than they were running plates .

[stateofidleness]

"the dissemination of said information is otherwise protected by federal law"
we're talking about criminals here. and I'm not just talking about people in TX that have connections, it could happen anywhere:
California: http://articles.sfgate.com/1996-11-23/news/17787950_1_car-theft-ring-auto-theft-dmv
South Carolina: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2007/sep/27/authorities_say_car_theft_ring_busted17372/

General consensus in Texas is:



The real criminals are already in office.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by stateofidleness

It comes down to privacy.

It comes down to paranoia and internet groupthink sensationalism.

[stateofidleness]

How's your bubble?

What's your plate number then?