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Some of the products tested on Mythbusters were able to partially obscure the plates. The issue was that it was easy to find the full plate from a partial when
by pyre 13y ago
Some of the products tested on Mythbusters were able to partially obscure the plates. The issue was that it was easy to find the full plate from a partial when you have the DMV database behind you (and a photo which gives you things like color, make and model). Seems like obscuring might be enough to make this a non-starter for private companies though.
- bigiain 13y agoI've heard from a person who works in the civilian section of the traffic enforcement - that while some of the products/tactics being used to obscure plates work against the automated numberplate reading software, that he's never seen one that wouldn't be obvious enough from visial instection, fail for a human operator with a photoshop-like image tweaking interface - he says they can _always_ get enough of a plate to match up with vehicle make/model/colour details. He says the only thing he sees that "works" is flip-up plate holders on motorcycles - and that when they see them, the photos get distributed to the local police who the have a "vehicle of interest" notice for that make/model/colour bike (and jacket/helmet).
- pyre 13y agoI'm not sure how kindly the law would look at you using the plate obscuring products, but these products could be a privacy measure if they are ineffective against law enforcement. The idea being once there is a human involved, the cost goes up. This would drive up the minimum price that these private companies could sell their services for.