Getting salty on our local craigslist

"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
08/15/2018 at 13:31 • Filed to: None

I like how someone thinks this is going to change anything.

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DISCUSSION (53)

His Stigness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 13:39

Oh yeah that’ll fix things.

My plates are confidential on all of my cars, but that doesn't mean someone can't abuse their authority. Government workers aren't supposed to access private information, but that doesn't mean they're not going to. Covering your plate takes all of a few seconds, and it protects you from crazy people on the internet.

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 13:42

Why does this guy even care? That’s much weirder than covering plates.

For Sweden > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 13:45

Can I actually buy this for $1

lone_liberal > His Stigness
08/15/2018 at 13:46

But your plates are visible to every crazy walking or driving down the street too.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > For Sweden
08/15/2018 at 13:46

What is your lowest price?

Urambo Tauro > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 13:47

Oh goody ANOTHER fake $1 ad. That’ll make Craigs list better.

His Stigness > lone_liberal
08/15/2018 at 13:50

Very true, but the crazies walking around don’t know my thoughts on non-German made cars.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Urambo Tauro
08/15/2018 at 13:50

Make Craigslist Great Again.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 13:50

This is another case of a tirade born from ignorance or naivete . Just because he thinks nobody can look up the tags doesn’t mean they can’t look up the tags. His Stigness is right - corrupt government workers can do it, but there are plenty of places on the internet where you can pay $20 and get all of the owner’s information from just a tag. Once the owner’s name is known, it’s easy to find their home (if they own one) from the assessor’s database.

Cash Rewards > His Stigness
08/15/2018 at 13:50

I think the point is that it’s not effective. I can respond to your ad and meet you and get your plates a along with a cell phone number and probably a bunch more. Or just see your plates in public. It’s a false sense of security that probably does nothing to finish any actual risk.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > His Stigness
08/15/2018 at 13:54

But you are not out there posting your idealism on C raigslist, or are you?

Ash78, voting early and often > lone_liberal
08/15/2018 at 13:54

Yes, but on the internet, the crazy ramps up to 11.

I’m with you. Just like when all those people got mad at Google Streetview for showing their faces. On public sidewalks. Gasp!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > TheRealBicycleBuck
08/15/2018 at 13:58

I find stealing someones mail a much better way for identity theft.

TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 14:06

The think I don’t get is plates are visible in public. One doesn’t drive around with a finger covering up a plate. And if your that worried about your identity, the smart move would be to set up a trust as the listed owner of a vehicle.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 14:12

If that’s your goal.

I took issue when the local county assessor’s office put all of the property data onto the web. At the time, my dad was still alive and it was possible for him to find me with that information. State law prohibited his access to the data, but the assessor ignored that and also ignored the laws prohibiting the publication of any data which could be used to identify the homes of police officers (my dad’s brother is an officer). I reported the problem several times but nothing changed . It wasn’t until I called into a local radio show and brought it to their attention that the assessor’s office finally redacted the data they were publishing.

Sure, there are lots of ways to sell your car without putting your personal information out there, but there’s nothing wrong with hiding your tag. Keeping your personal information private is a smart move.

Maxima Speed > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 14:16

Sounds like something an Oppo would do

Alfalfa > lone_liberal
08/15/2018 at 14:17

This. Right here. All day.

I mean literally all day, that's the time your plate is exposed to the public eye.

Takuro Spirit > For Sweden
08/15/2018 at 14:19

Can’t go wrong with some c heap muppet necking

Alfalfa > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 14:19

He probably just has no friends to rant about it to, so he does the ranting on CL.

Chariotoflove > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 14:29

I kinda understand where the rant is coming from though. License plates are public. You drive around with them showing to the world. T he only thing different about your CL ad is you are kinda calling attention to yourself a bit more.

All that said, it’s a little thing to get worked up about compared to all the problems in the world one could be indignant about.

Nom De Plume > Ash78, voting early and often
08/15/2018 at 14:31

Yes to the first. Big no on the second. The leap of logic you attempted there was too big for one sentence. Or the second to qualify it.

Therein lies the difference between an adult acting of their own volition in complete control of what information is or is not provided for examination. A multinational corporation taking surveillance photos for profit is legally and morally so distant as to beggar comparison.

Die-Trying > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 14:52

its not just finding out information about an OWNER....... sometimes a car you own disappears under mysterious circumstances, and the jerk who took off with it tries to part it out, or sell off the shell without a title....... its real fun to get reunited with your old car, with about 5 of your biggest mea nest friends, and a couple of shotguns. getting YOUR stolen car back is satisfying in such a priceless way...... best believe a lot of those no title/covered plates got a reason to be scared.......

The Dummy Gummy > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 15:02

What a whiney knob.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > His Stigness
08/15/2018 at 15:20

yeah but its not like youre covering your plates every time you drive on the road. so whats the point of covering it for a picture?

BigBlock440 > Cash Rewards
08/15/2018 at 15:39

You could do all that, but you won’t, because you have to leave your computer to do all that. Or because you’re Russian or Chinese and would have to get on a plane to come over and get the plate numbers. Just too much effort for all but the truly dedicated. It also significantly shrinks the group of people who could do that.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck
08/15/2018 at 15:41

Prove it. That is definitely illegal and the cops do take it seriously (they don’t give out any information about people based on a plate). Someone could , but they could also do it from a random car on the street. How is a car on CL such a ripe target for anything?

You’re just paranoid.

BigBlock440 > Chariotoflove
08/15/2018 at 15:43

Except you’re not showing them to the world, just people in your immediate vicinity. Putting them on craigslist and you’re showing them to the world. The world’s a big place, you’re much more likely to encounter a rando stalker on the internet than in person, and it takes much less effort on their end. Hell, it could even be bored Albanian teenagers that just want to cause a ruckus.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > His Stigness
08/15/2018 at 15:43

Presumably you intend to sell this car. You will be giving away a ton of information about yourself in the process.

BigBlock440 > Die-Trying
08/15/2018 at 15:44

If it’s stolen, why wouldn’t they just take the plate off?

Cash Rewards > BigBlock440
08/15/2018 at 15:45

I really can’t imagine trolling Craigslistv from Russia or China for photos of licence plates is the most productive or efficient method for anyone who wants to do something like that. Are there any examples of this actually happening?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 15:45

The List of Craig is pretty terrible anymore and just keeps getting worse. Now that they have competition from FB, it seems that only the really wacky people are using CL anymore due to perceived anonymity (compared to FB, where you’re hanging it all out there when you make a sales post).

Chariotoflove > BigBlock440
08/15/2018 at 15:48

So many of those CL listers put their personal phone number up for texts. I think that’s a much easier avenue for pranksters. I mean, I’m not saying it’s not possible that something ill could come of showing your plate, just that it doesn’t seem high on the list of daily dangers that could befall the average car owner.

Obviously, there are many who disagree, as they do cover their plates.

Die-Trying > BigBlock440
08/15/2018 at 15:53

see, that is thinking with a clear and rational level mind.......

cars can be more conspicuous without plates if they are parked, and get looked over by police, JUST for that.... and some folks are just lazy........ i have had a few people over the years try and sell me cars that they didnt own. when they get real desperate for money they take the car apart and sell it piecemeal/ala carte .......

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > BigBlock440
08/15/2018 at 15:55

Uh, the probability of someone locating you based on a CL ad is ridiculously low. It’s already a small immediate vicinity thing, limited to only the people that find and look at the ad. It’s likely that ten times as many people see your license plate on the way to work as might see your license plate on CL. Then they still can’t actually learn anything from it, unless they’re in LE, then they would still need to catfish you into revealing where you are located.

Law-abiding people have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to their plates being seen anywhere, particularly the plates on a car they’re intending to sell.

Hell, I’ve posted numerous pictures of cars I own on here. It’s not like a CL ad is that different, plus they expire, while this is seemingly here for perpetuity so my distant descendants may be reading this very text I’m writing here, but will probably never read the text of even a single CL ad I ever wrote.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > TheRealBicycleBuck
08/15/2018 at 15:55

It takes about thirty seconds and a subscription to Lexis Nexis to find literally anyone in the country. If someone wants to find you, they can do it. Caring about your license plate number on CL is just dumb. If you’re that paranoid about being tracked down, use a LLC or something to hold title to property.

BigBlock440 > Chariotoflove
08/15/2018 at 15:55

Swatting is a thing. So is this:

https://gizmodo.com/when-a-stranger-decides-to-destroy-your-life-1827546385

Not a shot am I trusting the internet. There’s enough instances of completely random strangers fucking up someone’s life half a country away for no reason whatsoever that there’s no need to make it any easier for them. At the very least it’ll weed out the lazier ones.

BigBlock440 > Cash Rewards
08/15/2018 at 16:02

Bored people don’t care about efficient use of their time. There’s more productive uses of one’s time than throwing rocks off an overpass too, but people still do it. As long as swatting’s a thing and things like this happen: https://gizmodo.com/when-a-stranger-decides-to-destroy-your-life-1827546385 , I don’t fault anyone for protecting their identity online.

When I was a kid, we used to pick up the payphone at the park and say random things to the operators, sometimes vulgar, sometimes not. Sure, it was mostly harmless “fun”, but there was absolutely zero reason to do it. Somebody had an idea, and being stupid kids, we ran with it. T he kind of stuff for even less effort that could be done by bored teenagers now is ridiculous . Maybe they’ll make you a facebook profile and start posting shit, who knows? I know I can’t think of every possible scenario that someone could do.

His Stigness > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
08/15/2018 at 16:13

I haven’t sold a car on Craigslist yet. My comment is more in regards to covering up the plates on pictures I post the internet at large, like Oppo.

BigBlock440 > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
08/15/2018 at 16:13

Yes, the probability is low. The probability is low for a lot of things, including getting struck by lightening and bit by a shark. That doesn’t mean people shouldn’t take steps to reduce that probability further. It’d be like getting angry at somebody for putting a seatbelt on because the probability of them getting in a sever accident is low.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
08/15/2018 at 16:45

I need to try FB market place a bit more I’ve been trying to sell a bike for ages.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > His Stigness
08/15/2018 at 17:16

Even then the risk is ultra low. Finding the owner of a car from a license plate is basically impossible for people outside LE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_Privacy_Protection_Act

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > BigBlock440
08/15/2018 at 17:19

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_Privacy_Protection_Act

His Stigness > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
08/15/2018 at 17:23

I’ve had a shitty, unethical piece of shit attorney look at my past posts and find a relative in a certain job and filed a complaint. So I am very gun shy about trying to avoid anything super personal or identifying. I know I post a lot of stuff, but I try and leave out some key details because there are shitty people out there.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2018 at 17:27

I can think of a good reason to cover the license plate... it associates that plate number with the email/phone number in the ad... and my location

When people see the plate number in public, they are NOT also seeing related info.

And where I live is a place where you keep the plates. The plates don’t stay with the car I’m selling. That means if I show my plates in the ad, I’m publicizing associated info related to those plates for the world to see... until I spend $$$ to get new license plates.

By publicizing my plate number, where’s the benefit to me or my ability to sell the car?

There isn’t any benefit. Only potential downsides.

So I’ll continue to be one of the people who will obscure the license plate.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > lone_liberal
08/15/2018 at 17:29

But when they see the plate number, are they also seeing that plate number in relation to an email address, location and phone number?

THAT’s the problem. It’s not the plate number itself. It’s associating the plate number with other data.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Chariotoflove
08/15/2018 at 17:31

When you show the plate number in an ad , you are making a publicly advertised associating with plate number and an email address, location and/or phone number.

THAT’s the problem. It’s not the plate number itself. It’s associating the plate number with other data

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo
08/15/2018 at 17:32

But when they see the plate number in public , are they also seeing that plate number in relation to an email address, location and phone number?

THAT’s the problem. It’s not the plate number itself. It’s associating the plate number with other data

TheRealBicycleBuck > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
08/15/2018 at 17:33

You are too trusting. Here’s the preliminary results of a plate search from the Discovery you recently rented.

Kinja'd!!!

I could click through and get the rest of the information, but I won’t.

I spent too many years on the run from an abusive father. This is the guy who tracked my mom down, forced her off the road, then stole her car at gunpoint. A few years later, he managed to track us down again through the phone company. We moved the next day.

I have reason to be cautious. You should to.

Oh, and you are right, this could happen randomly when someone takes a picture of your plate. Or it could happen when you end up on the receiving end of a road rage incident. Or it could happen if you put your plate into a craigslist ad and some weirdo decides to track you down.

Don’t be so trusting. And don’t bash on people who are less trusting than you. They usually have a damn good reason for it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
08/15/2018 at 17:36

For a Lexis Nexis search to work, you have to start with a name. You can get that name with the license plate. Ergo, hiding your license plate makes sense if you don’t want the weirdos coming to see your car to know who you are.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > TheRealBicycleBuck
08/15/2018 at 18:12

All these services are treading a thin line and you have to commit a felony to obtain the information, so it’s not without considerable risk.

TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
08/15/2018 at 19:49

Ok so I get that part, but doesn’t Craiglist have the option to use a proxy email? I hate to argue; but I just see putting your finger over a plate on a post with a personal phone and email equates to closing the barn door after the horse has escaped.

BigBlock440 > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
08/16/2018 at 07:52

Do you think an act passed by congress is going to prevent bored hackers? If that were the case, maybe they should pass the “Voting B ooth P rotection A ct”.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo
08/16/2018 at 07:53

But you’re still putting in a location. And many still want to be contacted by phone or text.

Blocking the plate number isn't an ultimate security solution, but it doesn't hurt and is easy to to.