Should You Hide Your Number Plate When Posting Photos Online?
There are various things we do in order to protect ourselves from theft and fraud online. For instance, most of us shred our bank statements or scribble over anything with our address on before putting it in the bin.
The question is, do you think in the same way when it comes to posting pictures onl the Internet? Should you block your number plate if you upload a photo of your car online? Find out here.
Privacy Revealed
A number plate is the key to finding out information about the car’s owner, without his or her consent. Of course a number plate is not hidden on a day to day basis, but when a picture of a number plate is on the internet, it’s available for the world to see at any given time.
And you can discover a lot from a number plate. How? There are both legal and illegal ways to discover a person’s name, address and more. This information can be accessed online if you enter the car registration on a certain website, or through paid services.
Private, paid services will dish out information regardless of someone’s background; they simply take a payment and send out the information. Whilst this information isn’t necessarily ground-breaking, for a complete stranger to know your address can be worrying.
Why Blur an Image?
Google Street View blurs license plates so it seems wise to follow suit. It’s better to be safe than sorry and it takes barely any time at all to blur a number plate using photo editors online. By pixelating, blurring or covering the number plate of your car before posting a picture online, you’re eliminating any sort of chance of a person being able to snoop.
Whilst it may seem unlikely that someone will take advantage of your number plate to attain information, it is possible, so it’s best to cover your back, just in case. The “it won’t happen to me” mentality will do you no favours as it could very well happen!
Ryan Kent under CC by NC SA 2.0
So, how do you blur an image quickly? You don’t really need to purchase software as there are a few sites that allow you to work on an image without installing anything. Online photo editing can be fast and easy, therefore it’s well worth doing before you post any photos of your vehicle for the world to see.
If you’re looking for a personal number plate, be sure to take a look at our selection of car registrations today and find the perfect one for you and your vehicle.
Read more: Number Plate Readers: Everything you need to know
