{"id":9054,"date":"2024-02-01T14:00:18","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T19:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/?post_type=doxxing&#038;p=9054"},"modified":"2024-02-01T14:00:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T19:00:42","slug":"is-posting-a-license-plate-doxxing","status":"publish","type":"doxxing","link":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/doxxing\/is-posting-a-license-plate-doxxing\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Posting a License Plate Doxxing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#is-posting-a-license-plate-doxxing\">Is Posting a License Plate Doxxing?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#can-you-look-up-someone-based-on-their-license-plate-through-the-dmv\">Can You Look Up Someone Based On Their License Plate Through the DMV?\u00a0<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#what-is-the-drivers-privacy-protection-act\">What is the Driver\u2019s Privacy Protection Act?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#exceptions-and-loopholes-to-the-drivers-privacy-protection-act\">Exceptions and loopholes to the Driver\u2019s Privacy Protection Act<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#can-you-use-data-brokers-to-find-someone-based-on-their-license-plate\">Can You Use Data Brokers to Find Someone Based On Their License Plate?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#becoming-undoxxable\">Becoming Undoxxable<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/doxxing\/what-is-doxxing-how-to-protect-against-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">doxxing<\/a> encompassing a wide swath of personal information, it\u2019s reasonable to ask: Is posting a license plate doxxing? After all, it could be considered a personally identifying piece of information, especially when accompanied by other details.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this guide, we\u2019ll review whether or not posting a license plate is considered doxxing and what you can do to protect yourself from it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"is-posting-a-license-plate-doxxing\">Is Posting a License Plate Doxxing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Doxxing is defined as publishing someone else\u2019s personal information online without their permission. So when someone publishes your license plate, have they doxxed you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Posting a license plate on its own &#8211; with no other details &#8211; is generally not considered doxxing. This is because a license plate number does not inherently give away any information about the vehicle owner.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also generally quite difficult (but not impossible &#8211; see below) to link a license plate number to a person.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"can-you-look-up-someone-based-on-their-license-plate-through-the-dmv\">Can You Look Up Someone Based On Their License Plate Through the DMV?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a widespread misconception that you can go to a DMV office with someone\u2019s license plate number and ask them for personal information about the plate\u2019s owner.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, this hasn\u2019t been the case since 1994, when the Driver\u2019s Privacy Protection Act was introduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-the-drivers-privacy-protection-act\">What is the Driver\u2019s Privacy Protection Act?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Driver\u2019s Privacy Protection Act is a federal law that governs the privacy and disclosure of personal data collected by state Departments of Motor Vehicles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As written, the law (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/18\/2725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18 U.S.C. \u00a7 2725<\/a>) makes it illegal for the DMV to share personal information connected to a motor vehicle record without the owner\u2019s express permission.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"388\" src=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/f7nyaZTRCCSPNcRAmjdDs3p_k7OrNb1elO4KvBB9kXEu7_T7OmeQaEzKWSr3cVVNnBmdJIGVgPzO2sH9USwAUaQWciKhtVLIZGs1RCPWp84HfiSEuwTeD2QDgSXO9mWy61KqWkINWWo5sxI5Qjlmc-A-1024x388.png\" alt=\"The Driver\u2019s Privacy Protection Act\" class=\"wp-image-9055\" style=\"width:641px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/f7nyaZTRCCSPNcRAmjdDs3p_k7OrNb1elO4KvBB9kXEu7_T7OmeQaEzKWSr3cVVNnBmdJIGVgPzO2sH9USwAUaQWciKhtVLIZGs1RCPWp84HfiSEuwTeD2QDgSXO9mWy61KqWkINWWo5sxI5Qjlmc-A-1024x388.png 1024w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/f7nyaZTRCCSPNcRAmjdDs3p_k7OrNb1elO4KvBB9kXEu7_T7OmeQaEzKWSr3cVVNnBmdJIGVgPzO2sH9USwAUaQWciKhtVLIZGs1RCPWp84HfiSEuwTeD2QDgSXO9mWy61KqWkINWWo5sxI5Qjlmc-A-300x114.png 300w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/f7nyaZTRCCSPNcRAmjdDs3p_k7OrNb1elO4KvBB9kXEu7_T7OmeQaEzKWSr3cVVNnBmdJIGVgPzO2sH9USwAUaQWciKhtVLIZGs1RCPWp84HfiSEuwTeD2QDgSXO9mWy61KqWkINWWo5sxI5Qjlmc-A-768x291.png 768w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/f7nyaZTRCCSPNcRAmjdDs3p_k7OrNb1elO4KvBB9kXEu7_T7OmeQaEzKWSr3cVVNnBmdJIGVgPzO2sH9USwAUaQWciKhtVLIZGs1RCPWp84HfiSEuwTeD2QDgSXO9mWy61KqWkINWWo5sxI5Qjlmc-A.png 1366w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, if someone tries to find out your personal information by going to the DMV with a license plate number and asking for more details about the owner, their request will likely be denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, you can find out some information about the vehicle associated with a license plate number at the DMV (or their online portal), including its make and year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Z64ND2gGV5Cu0LOdpv41YFvyYoNquq5xkxkbz6hxGEkvELfX7uZcO9qmua3HzWSm3GIvtiMxf1jiK5f8bxL9bF4yGYYe2UD342B6Frq-08uO0ZswsjX5vHdhexFt5MNjV4kx3j6Oo37Yim9Qg_Qtkk-1024x653.png\" alt=\"DMV portal - license plate search results \" class=\"wp-image-9056\" style=\"width:463px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Z64ND2gGV5Cu0LOdpv41YFvyYoNquq5xkxkbz6hxGEkvELfX7uZcO9qmua3HzWSm3GIvtiMxf1jiK5f8bxL9bF4yGYYe2UD342B6Frq-08uO0ZswsjX5vHdhexFt5MNjV4kx3j6Oo37Yim9Qg_Qtkk-1024x653.png 1024w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Z64ND2gGV5Cu0LOdpv41YFvyYoNquq5xkxkbz6hxGEkvELfX7uZcO9qmua3HzWSm3GIvtiMxf1jiK5f8bxL9bF4yGYYe2UD342B6Frq-08uO0ZswsjX5vHdhexFt5MNjV4kx3j6Oo37Yim9Qg_Qtkk-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Z64ND2gGV5Cu0LOdpv41YFvyYoNquq5xkxkbz6hxGEkvELfX7uZcO9qmua3HzWSm3GIvtiMxf1jiK5f8bxL9bF4yGYYe2UD342B6Frq-08uO0ZswsjX5vHdhexFt5MNjV4kx3j6Oo37Yim9Qg_Qtkk-768x489.png 768w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Z64ND2gGV5Cu0LOdpv41YFvyYoNquq5xkxkbz6hxGEkvELfX7uZcO9qmua3HzWSm3GIvtiMxf1jiK5f8bxL9bF4yGYYe2UD342B6Frq-08uO0ZswsjX5vHdhexFt5MNjV4kx3j6Oo37Yim9Qg_Qtkk.png 1136w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Driver\u2019s Privacy Protection Act took shape in part due to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jdsupra.com\/legalnews\/the-drivers-privacy-protection-act-why-82418\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer<\/a> in 1989 by an obsessed fan who was able to obtain her home address from the DMV.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The incentive to pass the act mounted in 1992 when opponents of abortion began using license plate numbers to track down and harass abortion clinic patients and abortion providers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"exceptions-and-loopholes-to-the-drivers-privacy-protection-act\">Exceptions and loopholes to the Driver\u2019s Privacy Protection Act<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some exceptions to the Driver\u2019s Protection Act.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some DMVs around the country have started <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/43kxzq\/dmvs-selling-data-private-investigators-making-millions-of-dollars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">selling personal data<\/a> to third parties to help fund their operations. This means that your data could be sold to insurance companies, private investigators, tow companies, and a host of other for-profit enterprises &#8211; for as little as $0.01 an entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the data being sold by DMVs can be tied to individuals, although DMVs stress they don\u2019t accompany it with social security numbers or photos.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"can-you-use-data-brokers-to-find-someone-based-on-their-license-plate\">Can You Use Data Brokers to Find Someone Based On Their License Plate?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Outside of the DMV, it is possible for someone to identify you using just your license plate number using specific <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/what-are-data-brokers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">data brokers<\/a> and people search websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"272\" src=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tKTmx01mn6swYPNQXmc-oSY3vA47Fcu7tCdRecxOpYQbmze887PCMdFooEwQ9qUPDNihADVD8Ws3v3uHBd72URuvhIcZl8oBY1pqtWYy8Z70ZpcYyOKGH318u07Qn9KCJiErdps44k0RNVmnqWgO0Cg-1024x272.png\" alt=\"License plate data broker \" class=\"wp-image-9057\" style=\"width:681px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tKTmx01mn6swYPNQXmc-oSY3vA47Fcu7tCdRecxOpYQbmze887PCMdFooEwQ9qUPDNihADVD8Ws3v3uHBd72URuvhIcZl8oBY1pqtWYy8Z70ZpcYyOKGH318u07Qn9KCJiErdps44k0RNVmnqWgO0Cg-1024x272.png 1024w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tKTmx01mn6swYPNQXmc-oSY3vA47Fcu7tCdRecxOpYQbmze887PCMdFooEwQ9qUPDNihADVD8Ws3v3uHBd72URuvhIcZl8oBY1pqtWYy8Z70ZpcYyOKGH318u07Qn9KCJiErdps44k0RNVmnqWgO0Cg-300x80.png 300w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tKTmx01mn6swYPNQXmc-oSY3vA47Fcu7tCdRecxOpYQbmze887PCMdFooEwQ9qUPDNihADVD8Ws3v3uHBd72URuvhIcZl8oBY1pqtWYy8Z70ZpcYyOKGH318u07Qn9KCJiErdps44k0RNVmnqWgO0Cg-768x204.png 768w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tKTmx01mn6swYPNQXmc-oSY3vA47Fcu7tCdRecxOpYQbmze887PCMdFooEwQ9qUPDNihADVD8Ws3v3uHBd72URuvhIcZl8oBY1pqtWYy8Z70ZpcYyOKGH318u07Qn9KCJiErdps44k0RNVmnqWgO0Cg-1536x408.png 1536w, https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/tKTmx01mn6swYPNQXmc-oSY3vA47Fcu7tCdRecxOpYQbmze887PCMdFooEwQ9qUPDNihADVD8Ws3v3uHBd72URuvhIcZl8oBY1pqtWYy8Z70ZpcYyOKGH318u07Qn9KCJiErdps44k0RNVmnqWgO0Cg.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Data brokers are companies that collect and compile personal information into profiles and then sell those profiles to anyone willing to pay a minimal fee. Data within each profile could include home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, family information, employment history, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most data broker sites do not vet their customers to determine if they have malicious or exploitative intent, meaning someone wanting to dox, harass, and\/or stalk you could be able to purchase your profile package.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, you can opt out of data brokers (see our <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/opt-out-guides\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">opt-out guides<\/a> for step-by-step instructions). Note that each data broker has its own opt-out process and that you\u2019ll need to opt out on a continuous basis. This is because brokers relist your profile when new information about you is found on the internet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, you can subscribe to a <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">data broker removal service such as DeleteMe<\/a>, which will regularly opt you out from data brokers and people search sites on your behalf.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"becoming-undoxxable\">Becoming Undoxxable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Considering the negative repercussions that can come from being doxxed, it\u2019s not unreasonable to set your sights on becoming undoxxable. It may sound like a lofty goal, but any step you take toward shrinking your online footprint is a step that minimizes the possibility that you\u2019ll be doxxed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To become undoxxable, your first step should be to dox yourself. Follow our <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/doxxing\/a-guide-to-doxxing-yourself-on-the-internet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">guide to doxxing yourself<\/a> using these <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/doxxing\/doxxing-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">doxxing tools<\/a> to see where your information is currently visible online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on what personal information you find about yourself on the web, you might need to do the following:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Change social media privacy settings from public to private (to hide your biography and limit your post audience).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use different usernames across social media platforms and accounts (to prevent doxxers from tracking you).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use different passwords, implement two-factor authentication, and use a password manager for login protection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Opt out of data brokers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set up Google Alerts to be pinged whenever your name or information appears online.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To find out more, see our guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/doxxing\/how-to-prevent-doxxing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how to prevent doxxing<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With doxxing encompassing a wide swath of personal information, it\u2019s reasonable to ask: Is posting a license plate doxxing? After all, it could be considered a personally identifying piece of information, especially when accompanied by other details.\u00a0 In this guide, we\u2019ll review whether or not posting a license plate is considered doxxing and what you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":9058,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9054","doxxing","type-doxxing","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doxxing\/9054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doxxing"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/doxxing"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doxxing\/9054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}