License plate avatar

I'm finally trying to work on an avatar, and would like to use my license plate, but wonder if there's a "down side"? I see some folks will blur their license plate number if they post it. What's the danger?

And, if I did want to blur the actual numbers, how is that done?

Thanks,
piperjim

I think it depends on how young you are. IMO, the younger generation has no problem with facebook, myspace, etc., with a lot of personal information on-line. Can someone use your license plate and make a claim, somehow, that that is their bike? Hard to believe, but in this day and age, I think people tend to offer the least amount of personal information if they can. That said, I have seen people use license plates as avatars like R90S, Beemer, etc.

If you wanted to blur it out, you would need some kind of software tool to do that. A freeware program that is useful for manipulating JPG and BMP images is IrfanView. You use some kind of "effect" within the program which blurs an area that you select. Likely the program would give you some control over the level of blurring.

piperjim said:

What's the danger?

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identity theft, false claims, etc.

Perhaps I am silly

I use my license plate, do you guys blur it our when you ride? Do you not list it when you check into hotels and give it to them. I have not heard of identity theft through license plates. Have you? Perhaps I am being naive but I have not heard of it.

License plates can be the source of name and addresses by many, so you never know...

AZ-J said:

License plates can be the source of name and addresses by many, so you never know...

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If people really subscribe to that theory, wouldn't they need to blur their tags every time they ride, or drive, or even park their vehicles to shop? If someone was looking for a tag number to steal, all they would need to do is walk down the street.

I know many a process server that can get name and address off a license plate legally. Where something can be done legally, there is always more than potential for others to do it, illegally.

You may think what you want.

AZ-J said:

I know many a process server that can get name and address off a license plate legally. Where something can be done legally, there is always more than potential for others to do it, illegally.

You may think what you want.

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I understand that and I know it happens, what I am saying is that if it can be done from a picture surely it can also be done from a tag in a parking lot etc. If someone is paranoid about their tag being visible in a picture, shouldn't they be just as paranoid while on the street?

You may think what you want!

But parking is not permanent or semi. On the web, it is there for all to see and for some to take.

warredon said:

I understand that and I know it happens, what I am saying is that if it can be done from a picture surely it can also be done from a tag in a parking lot etc.

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I agree with you. There are a thousands of people (mostly law enforcement) authorized to look up information associated with license plates. So sure, the possibility exists for some sort of unauthorized access to the information associated with your plate number. Still, someone with that sort of thing in mind, could go to a parking lot with a video camera and collect hundreds of license plate numbers within minutes. It makes no sense that a person trying to run down random license plate information would come here to do so, when the same thing could be done with far greater efficiency by simply walking down the street with a pen an paper.

On the other hand, if you're inclined to go to great lengths to ensure that your identify on this forum remains totally confidential from those here who might be able to trace your license plate number back to you, don't use your plate number as your avatar. I don't use my plate as my avatar, but I wouldn't think twice about doing so.

This is similar to the overcautious (in my opinion) reluctance some have to use a credit card online. The information on credit card information pages, unlike standard Web forms, is encrypted and remains so until it gets to the database on the other end where it's usually automatically re-encrypted a second time. The number isn't even seen by a human being. Yet the same people who are reluctant to provide credit card numbers online will willingly hand over their card to a complete stranger at a restaurant who takes it into the back room and does who knows what with it.

There are certainly possibilities of fraud on the Internet and people need to exercise great caution, but there are other things that are really quite safely done.

Is there any way that my license plate can be blurred when I am captured on PHOTO RADAR, sure would be nice

Haven't had this problem with my bike but my cars are more prone to this activity.

piperjim said:

What's the danger?

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Haven't had any problems that I know of so far...

I have the problem solved

I wear aluminum foil under my helmet, it keeps my license plate safe.

rightofway said:

Is there any way that my license plate can be blurred when I am captured on PHOTO RADAR, sure would be nice

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http://www.novatechgadgets.com/phspmaliplin1.html