5 ms·

The DB5 in Goldfinger (1964) had revolving licence plates. A cursory Google search comes up with some shady websites that sell similar tech, but it would be a

by bambax 4y ago

The DB5 in Goldfinger (1964) had revolving licence plates. A cursory Google search comes up with some shady websites that sell similar tech, but it would be a nice DIY project to make a licence plate screen that can be changed on the fly (e-ink based maybe). Has anyone tried it?

nopcode 4y ago
SWIM has a leaf-shaped magnet that can be demagnetised via remote. You put it on the plate so that it cannot be scanned but if police pulls you over it falls off.
bjacobt 4y ago
What about https://reviver.com https://reviver.com ?
rozab 4y ago
This would be flagged immediately. Law enforcement cameras check the plate against the registered make, model, and colour (which are public record in the UK)
- dylan604 4y ago
  What happens if you paint your car? Are you supposed to inform your gov't?
  - tristor 4y ago
    Yes, actually, although generally speaking it's not widely enforced. Generally you won't get caught as long as the color on the registration matches the factory color in the VIN database, but you are supposed to ensure the vehicle description is accurate when you renew your registration and providing false information is a criminal offense, so if the color changes, you should update your vehicle registration.
  - scrumbledober 4y ago
    yes
  - astura 4y ago
    Yeah, you are. Family member of mine actually got in trouble because the dealership typed the wrong color into the registration paperwork. The color on the registration didn't match the actual color of the car therefore it was considered illegally registered and the car was impounded during a routine traffic stop.
    - dylan604 4y ago
      I love hearing these stories of "with all other crime being solved" officers have moved onto the petty stuff /s
- bambax 4y ago
  Just pick up a plate number that matches your car; it's not like every car is unique. (But of course that would be harmful to the rightful owner of that registration number.) Also, it's a little doubtful colors can be recognized in all light conditions (at night, in a tunnel, etc.) And if the car is simply parked (vs. a road check), does it matter that it's "flagged"? What could happen? There would have to be a warning somewhere for the car to be impounded, or to send officers to wait for the owner to show up. Very unlikely IMHO.
russdill 4y ago
A really good hack to get around the fact that motor vehicles are by law easily traceable is to...just take mass transit.
- floren 4y ago
  But when mass transit phases out paper tickets, "use the convenient app for a 20% discount!", it's not much better... Even with paper tickets, if you paid with a credit card there's now a perfect record: Jim Smith got on at the Fruitvale station and got off in Fremont, stayed there two hours, and then came back the same way.
  - dylan604 4y ago
    the old trick at the air port was to buy mulitple tickets leaving around the same time to different destinations at multiple airports ultimately traveling under false ID under a different name. that's surely feasible for pretty much anybody not just super spies, right?
    - getcrunk 4y ago
      Not anymore ... With facial recognition and passport/I'd databases?
- fsckboy 4y ago
  face recognition is also a thing, though perhaps not as publicly accessible as a license plate
remus 4y ago
I remember a story of a guy who had his license plate on a hinge with a little cable attached to the cigarette lighter in the car. When he wanted to speed in an area with cameras he'd pull out the cigarette lighter to fold the plate up, then pop it back in to fold the plate down when he was finished. This struck me as a very neat solution, and nicely disguised too.
- _whiteCaps_ 4y ago
  https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/golden-ears-toll-evader-charged-with-fraud/ https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/golden-ears-toll-evader... “Officers are always looking for uninsured vehicles,” said Surrey RCMP spokesman Cpl. Scotty Schumann. “The officer was very surprised when he saw a valid B.C. license plate magically lift into place after they had passed the toll cameras.”
  - pictureofabear 4y ago
    That man deserves a medal for keeping that 1993 Geo Metro going.
mwcremer 4y ago
Obligatory XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1105/ https://xkcd.com/1105/
mistrial9 4y ago
the only time I saw this in real life was a twenty-something guy with a high powered street motorcycle. It was not stock and had odd parts (which makes other mods less obvious). I believe he had a kill switch for all lights on the bike, which made reading the plate at night more difficult, but the immediate use was to run from a hiway patrol when challenged. No idea how that worked out for him over time.
- mellavora 4y ago
  Hard to run away from an oncoming truck which didn't see you because you were running dark
  - mistrial9 4y ago
    well sure but if you are running a high powered street bike, the truck is only one of many immediate dangers.. I believe that license plates used to be made of metal with reflective coating and ridges (made by prison labor?) but today on the street I am seeing what looks like white paper with black lettering?
fsckboy 4y ago
assuming the people here are not in general criminals, I'm not sure that committing a fake license plate crime is the best way to go about staying under the radar.

by bambax 4y ago

nopcode 4y ago

SWIM has a leaf-shaped magnet that can be demagnetised via remote. You put it on the plate so that it cannot be scanned but if police pulls you over it falls off.

bjacobt 4y ago

What about https://reviver.com https://reviver.com ?

rozab 4y ago

This would be flagged immediately. Law enforcement cameras check the plate against the registered make, model, and colour (which are public record in the UK)

dylan604 4y ago
What happens if you paint your car? Are you supposed to inform your gov't?
- tristor 4y ago
  Yes, actually, although generally speaking it's not widely enforced. Generally you won't get caught as long as the color on the registration matches the factory color in the VIN database, but you are supposed to ensure the vehicle description is accurate when you renew your registration and providing false information is a criminal offense, so if the color changes, you should update your vehicle registration.
- scrumbledober 4y ago
  yes
- astura 4y ago
  Yeah, you are. Family member of mine actually got in trouble because the dealership typed the wrong color into the registration paperwork. The color on the registration didn't match the actual color of the car therefore it was considered illegally registered and the car was impounded during a routine traffic stop.
  - dylan604 4y ago
    I love hearing these stories of "with all other crime being solved" officers have moved onto the petty stuff /s
bambax 4y ago
Just pick up a plate number that matches your car; it's not like every car is unique. (But of course that would be harmful to the rightful owner of that registration number.) Also, it's a little doubtful colors can be recognized in all light conditions (at night, in a tunnel, etc.) And if the car is simply parked (vs. a road check), does it matter that it's "flagged"? What could happen? There would have to be a warning somewhere for the car to be impounded, or to send officers to wait for the owner to show up. Very unlikely IMHO.

russdill 4y ago

A really good hack to get around the fact that motor vehicles are by law easily traceable is to...just take mass transit.

floren 4y ago
But when mass transit phases out paper tickets, "use the convenient app for a 20% discount!", it's not much better... Even with paper tickets, if you paid with a credit card there's now a perfect record: Jim Smith got on at the Fruitvale station and got off in Fremont, stayed there two hours, and then came back the same way.
- dylan604 4y ago
  the old trick at the air port was to buy mulitple tickets leaving around the same time to different destinations at multiple airports ultimately traveling under false ID under a different name. that's surely feasible for pretty much anybody not just super spies, right?
  - getcrunk 4y ago
    Not anymore ... With facial recognition and passport/I'd databases?
fsckboy 4y ago
face recognition is also a thing, though perhaps not as publicly accessible as a license plate

remus 4y ago

I remember a story of a guy who had his license plate on a hinge with a little cable attached to the cigarette lighter in the car. When he wanted to speed in an area with cameras he'd pull out the cigarette lighter to fold the plate up, then pop it back in to fold the plate down when he was finished. This struck me as a very neat solution, and nicely disguised too.

_whiteCaps_ 4y ago
https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/golden-ears-toll-evader-charged-with-fraud/ https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/golden-ears-toll-evader... “Officers are always looking for uninsured vehicles,” said Surrey RCMP spokesman Cpl. Scotty Schumann. “The officer was very surprised when he saw a valid B.C. license plate magically lift into place after they had passed the toll cameras.”
- pictureofabear 4y ago
  That man deserves a medal for keeping that 1993 Geo Metro going.

mwcremer 4y ago

Obligatory XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1105/ https://xkcd.com/1105/

mistrial9 4y ago

the only time I saw this in real life was a twenty-something guy with a high powered street motorcycle. It was not stock and had odd parts (which makes other mods less obvious). I believe he had a kill switch for all lights on the bike, which made reading the plate at night more difficult, but the immediate use was to run from a hiway patrol when challenged. No idea how that worked out for him over time.

mellavora 4y ago
Hard to run away from an oncoming truck which didn't see you because you were running dark
- mistrial9 4y ago
  well sure but if you are running a high powered street bike, the truck is only one of many immediate dangers.. I believe that license plates used to be made of metal with reflective coating and ridges (made by prison labor?) but today on the street I am seeing what looks like white paper with black lettering?

fsckboy 4y ago

assuming the people here are not in general criminals, I'm not sure that committing a fake license plate crime is the best way to go about staying under the radar.