Covering your plate

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
You don't need crazy expensive software technology to hide your IP address. I'm using a VPN right now that says I'm in Las Vegas, and that service costs me about $5.00 a month. With a mouse click, I can be in Budapest. Yes, I'm sure the NSA could find out where I'm actually at by my IP address, but Joe Average citizen can't.

This isn't about hiding from the Big Bad Government, and it has nothing to do with your ability to be tracked on your phone, and it has nothing to do with paranoia. Look at it this way: I don't see anyone on this forum that uses their real name. Obviously my name isn't RCinNC, and I don't see any other members here who go by Ted Williamson rather than "SuperTenTed". I also don't see anyone who prominently displays their home address and phone number in their signature lines. Why is that? I don't know your reasons, but for me, it's because I don't want random internet strangers who I don't know to know who I am and where I live. If you're going to post photos of your bike or car on line with your registration plate prominently displayed, that's what you're doing. It's only one step removed from telling a bunch of people who you really don't know and yet you interact with on a regular basis what your real name and address is. Not only that, that bit of info can also be used by that random stranger to find out who your wife and family members are. And they don't need crazy expensive technology to find out that info from your plate; they just need a credit card to pay one of the online data collection agencies, or in some states they just need to fill out a form at the DMV, or they need a friend who works in a legal office or an insurance office. Or they could pay any one of the numerous shady PI services to do the legwork for them.

As I said earlier, the fact that someone would use that info against you isn't likely, but it also isn't a non-zero chance. I'm not personally comfortable projecting my personal information on line so that thousands of random strangers could have access to it if they desired. I wouldn't do it any more than I'd drive down the street with my name, address and DOB painted on the side of my car. It requires almost no effort to protect myself from this non-zero chance, so that's what I do.
 

jbrown

Active Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
373
Location
Novato, CA
License plates are just one more bit of information about you. For most of us, the information that a license plate will give is already known by various on-line entities, and is for sale. Your address, your phone number, the things you search for on-line, what insurance company you use, etc. Even the most "secure" outfits have made security blunders, exposing private information about you. It's too late to re-hide exposed info, but you should do what you can to limit casual access. The experienced players are looking for a way to make money, and won't bother without a significant payback potential. But there are people who just seem to want to make trouble.
 

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
You've identified the point that many people seem to miss. It's not about Big Brother, or how your info is already out there on the web, or whether your browser or Facebook tracks your movements.

It's a good idea to maintain a disconnect between people you communicate with in the anonymous on line world and your real life. Online gamers already know this, because "Swatting" has become a means of retaliating against other gamers. Doxxing is a real thing, and celebrities aren't the only people who are plagued by it. Say one stupid thing on Twitter, and people will comb every post you ever made looking for personal info they can put together to find out your real identity, just to endlessly harass you. And once that begins, there's no way to stop it. Remember Justine Sacco, that woman a few years back who tweeted about her trip to Africa and made a joke that she wasn't worried about Aids because she was white? By the time her plane landed she had lost her job, and was receiving death threats that lasted for years. That happened because she identified herself on line with her real name, where she worked, etc. That's all it took to ruin her life: she removed the disconnect between her online world and her real one.

People say stupid things all the time on line, because the anonymity provides a disconnect. If you attach personally identifying information to one of your posts, you've removed that disconnect. You've now made it possible for someone to connect you personally to whatever dumb, inflammatory thing you may have said at one time on line, even if it was years ago (since nothing ever disappears on the web). It doesn't even have to be inflammatory; it just has to be something that another person vehemently disagreed with, to the extent that they are so angry that they think you deserve to be punished. Scroll through a Youtube comments section sometime, and you'll see how unhinged people can get, even if the video is about how to sharpen a plane blade.
 

PhilPhilippines

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2020
Messages
952
Location
Philippines
You've identified the point that many people seem to miss. It's not about Big Brother, or how your info is already out there on the web, or whether your browser or Facebook tracks your movements.

It's a good idea to maintain a disconnect between people you communicate with in the anonymous on line world and your real life. Online gamers already know this, because "Swatting" has become a means of retaliating against other gamers. Doxxing is a real thing, and celebrities aren't the only people who are plagued by it. Say one stupid thing on Twitter, and people will comb every post you ever made looking for personal info they can put together to find out your real identity, just to endlessly harass you. And once that begins, there's no way to stop it. Remember Justine Sacco, that woman a few years back who tweeted about her trip to Africa and made a joke that she wasn't worried about Aids because she was white? By the time her plane landed she had lost her job, and was receiving death threats that lasted for years. That happened because she identified herself on line with her real name, where she worked, etc. That's all it took to ruin her life: she removed the disconnect between her online world and her real one.

People say stupid things all the time on line, because the anonymity provides a disconnect. If you attach personally identifying information to one of your posts, you've removed that disconnect. You've now made it possible for someone to connect you personally to whatever dumb, inflammatory thing you may have said at one time on line, even if it was years ago (since nothing ever disappears on the web). It doesn't even have to be inflammatory; it just has to be something that another person vehemently disagreed with, to the extent that they are so angry that they think you deserve to be punished. Scroll through a Youtube comments section sometime, and you'll see how unhinged people can get, even if the video is about how to sharpen a plane blade.
Luckily I'm without fault...
 

Sierra1

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Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,819
Location
Joshua TX
Y'all are just confirming why I don't do social media. All those l**p d**k, m****r f*****g computer geeks that have no clue about real life, can destroy a person with a computer. . . . literally, figuratively, and financially. . . . all because you made fun of their favorite Pokemon.

We need the technology of today, with the mindset of the '50s.
 

Sierra1

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Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,819
Location
Joshua TX
This is my ONLY social media. And, there's not a lot of twenty something year olds on here.
 

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
LOL, the average age of a Facebook user, which is pretty much the benchmark for bullshit social media, is 40.5 years old. Social media isn't just a thing for "them durn twentysomething Gen Z'ers", it's a daily thing for everyone from a dumb tween to granny in a nursing home. The fact that this site is full of old guys doesn't make it immune from the risks of all the other social media, any more than a huge population of oldsters on Facebook makes someone immune from being doxxed there when they say something that gets peoples' attention.
 

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,819
Location
Joshua TX
The theory of Facebook was a good one. Being able to contact old friends, and family that have moved away. But, just like everything else, people went and screwed it up. There's a line out of the movie Roadhouse: you're too stupid to have fun. When people take something simple, and f it up.
 
R

RonH

Guest
It's another case of "monkey see, monkey do". Others cover their plate, so it "must be " important, so the trend continues forever. Just like honking your horn in a car every time you park. Is this really necessary? Yes, others do it, so it must be.
 

Don T

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
541
Location
Denmark
You've identified the point that many people seem to miss. It's not about Big Brother, or how your info is already out there on the web, or whether your browser or Facebook tracks your movements.

It's a good idea to maintain a disconnect between people you communicate with in the anonymous on line world and your real life. Online gamers already know this, because "Swatting" has become a means of retaliating against other gamers. Doxxing is a real thing, and celebrities aren't the only people who are plagued by it. Say one stupid thing on Twitter, and people will comb every post you ever made looking for personal info they can put together to find out your real identity, just to endlessly harass you. And once that begins, there's no way to stop it. Remember Justine Sacco, that woman a few years back who tweeted about her trip to Africa and made a joke that she wasn't worried about Aids because she was white? By the time her plane landed she had lost her job, and was receiving death threats that lasted for years. That happened because she identified herself on line with her real name, where she worked, etc. That's all it took to ruin her life: she removed the disconnect between her online world and her real one.

People say stupid things all the time on line, because the anonymity provides a disconnect. If you attach personally identifying information to one of your posts, you've removed that disconnect. You've now made it possible for someone to connect you personally to whatever dumb, inflammatory thing you may have said at one time on line, even if it was years ago (since nothing ever disappears on the web). It doesn't even have to be inflammatory; it just has to be something that another person vehemently disagreed with, to the extent that they are so angry that they think you deserve to be punished. Scroll through a Youtube comments section sometime, and you'll see how unhinged people can get, even if the video is about how to sharpen a plane blade.
There is no disconnect between my online and offline life as the two blends together all the time.

Besides using the nickname "Don T" on various forums (a story for another time), I'm exactly the same person in both worlds - I never write anything online that I can't vouch for or wouldn't repeat face to face.

I have been publishing ride reports for years (both in printed magazines and on advrider.com). I maintain a motorcycle/travel blog. I'm the Danish TET linesman. I've travelled the world and been involved in all kinds of motorcycle related stuff since the early 90s.
As a result I've become a somewhat public figure.
Even an amatuer would be able to track down my name, address and phone number in no time.
I'm fine with that as it has never resulted in anything negative rather the opposite.
 

PhilPhilippines

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2020
Messages
952
Location
Philippines
There is no disconnect between my online and offline life as the two blends together all the time.

Besides using the nickname "Don T" on various forums (a story for another time), I'm exactly the same person in both worlds - I never write anything online that I can't vouch for or wouldn't repeat face to face.

I have been publishing ride reports for years (both in printed magazines and on advrider.com). I maintain a motorcycle/travel blog. I'm the Danish TET linesman. I've travelled the world and been involved in all kinds of motorcycle related stuff since the early 90s.
As a result I've become a somewhat public figure.
Even an amatuer would be able to track down my name, address and phone number in no time.
I'm fine with that as it has never resulted in anything negative rather the opposite.
Ah, it's Don T, I thought it was Don'T! :D
 

RCinNC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
2,816
Location
North Carolina
There is no disconnect between my online and offline life as the two blends together all the time.

Besides using the nickname "Don T" on various forums (a story for another time), I'm exactly the same person in both worlds - I never write anything online that I can't vouch for or wouldn't repeat face to face.

I have been publishing ride reports for years (both in printed magazines and on advrider.com). I maintain a motorcycle/travel blog. I'm the Danish TET linesman. I've travelled the world and been involved in all kinds of motorcycle related stuff since the early 90s.
As a result I've become a somewhat public figure.
Even an amatuer would be able to track down my name, address and phone number in no time.
I'm fine with that as it has never resulted in anything negative rather the opposite.
I'm glad you've never had a bad experience, DonT. It wouldn't require much effort at all to locate people on line who haven't. The fact that you've personally never had a bad experience doesn't negate the bad experiences others have had. I've already mentioned Justine Sacco, because she immediately popped to mind; I could do more research and list people ad nauseam, who've had negative experiences based on being too public with their internet personas. But to what end? I'm not trying to convince you not to do it, as I don't have a personal stake in your outcome. I posted what I did because the OP asked why people hid their license plates on line, and I gave him a reason not to. As I said, becoming the victim of internet harassment wasn't the most likely outcome, but the low amount of effort that it takes to conceal some personally identifying information on a photo makes it an acceptable amount of precaution to take.

I've known many people in my riding life who ride without helmets, and they've never been involved in an accident. Their positive experiences don't make me an advocate of helmetless riding. In my former professional life I've known heroin addicts who only used heroin on weekends, and still managed to maintain jobs and families for many years. That would certainly never make me an advocate of casual heroin use. And I've known plenty of people who post everything except their credit card numbers on their Facebook pages who, like you, have never had a bad experience. The fact that none of these people ever suffered the worst case scenario doesn't change my advice, because it only takes one person or one experience to create havoc, and that's a havoc that could be easily avoided with an absolute minimum of effort.

Being a public figure, like a writer, has inherent risks as far as some sort of online harassment goes, especially if you're a writer who engages in controversial topics. Having an online presence is almost a necessity in an online publishing world; JD Salinger would have a tough go of it if he was starting out now. So, much like being a cop or a fireman, you have to accept that elevated risk in order to engage in your profession. The average guy posting on a forum or Facebook or Instagram or Twitter can easily choose to maintain a disconnect between his online world and the meat world, and my recommendation is that everyone who posts online strives to maintain that disconnect, because you can't get it back once you lose it.
 

PhilPhilippines

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2020
Messages
952
Location
Philippines
I'm glad you've never had a bad experience, DonT. It wouldn't require much effort at all to locate people on line who haven't. The fact that you've personally never had a bad experience doesn't negate the bad experiences others have had. I've already mentioned Justine Sacco, because she immediately popped to mind; I could do more research and list people ad nauseam, who've had negative experiences based on being too public with their internet personas. But to what end? I'm not trying to convince you not to do it, as I don't have a personal stake in your outcome. I posted what I did because the OP asked why people hid their license plates on line, and I gave him a reason not to. As I said, becoming the victim of internet harassment wasn't the most likely outcome, but the low amount of effort that it takes to conceal some personally identifying information on a photo makes it an acceptable amount of precaution to take.

I've known many people in my riding life who ride without helmets, and they've never been involved in an accident. Their positive experiences don't make me an advocate of helmetless riding. In my former professional life I've known heroin addicts who only used heroin on weekends, and still managed to maintain jobs and families for many years. That would certainly never make me an advocate of casual heroin use. And I've known plenty of people who post everything except their credit card numbers on their Facebook pages who, like you, have never had a bad experience. The fact that none of these people ever suffered the worst case scenario doesn't change my advice, because it only takes one person or one experience to create havoc, and that's a havoc that could be easily avoided with an absolute minimum of effort.

Being a public figure, like a writer, has inherent risks as far as some sort of online harassment goes, especially if you're a writer who engages in controversial topics. Having an online presence is almost a necessity in an online publishing world; JD Salinger would have a tough go of it if he was starting out now. So, much like being a cop or a fireman, you have to accept that elevated risk in order to engage in your profession. The average guy posting on a forum or Facebook or Instagram or Twitter can easily choose to maintain a disconnect between his online world and the meat world, and my recommendation is that everyone who posts online strives to maintain that disconnect, because you can't get it back once you lose it.
Sound advice I'd say...
 

Checkswrecks

Ungenear to broked stuff
Staff member
Global Moderator
2011 Site Supporter
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Messages
11,489
Location
Damascus, MD
There is no disconnect between my online and offline life as the two blends together all the time.

Besides using the nickname "Don T" on various forums (a story for another time), I'm exactly the same person in both worlds - I never write anything online that I can't vouch for or wouldn't repeat face to face.

I have been publishing ride reports for years (both in printed magazines and on advrider.com). I maintain a motorcycle/travel blog. I'm the Danish TET linesman. I've travelled the world and been involved in all kinds of motorcycle related stuff since the early 90s.
As a result I've become a somewhat public figure.
Even an amatuer would be able to track down my name, address and phone number in no time.
I'm fine with that as it has never resulted in anything negative rather the opposite.
People don't mess with you because you could crush them!
LOL

btw - Still looking forward to visiting you someday after this 'Rona is less a factor.
 
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