The license plate number

[Anonymous]

Jeff, are you going to take down that poor guy's license plate number in the general parenting forum?

[jsteele]

This issue has come up before and I remain unclear what the issue is with license plate numbers. Maybe someone can clue me in, but I really don't understand the sensitivity. A license plate number does not allow a "normal person" (i.e. not someone connected to law enforcement) to identify someone unless they are already familiar with the person or license plate number. Unlike a phone number, someone cannot immediately begin harassing someone because of something described on a website. I can't imagine that DCUM readers are going to commit the number to memory and begin prowling the streets in search of the car.

We allow posters to go into great detail in describing nannies that have acted in whys considered inappropriately. If those nannies had license plates, I'm sure the numbers would be posted here. Frankly, I don't like those posts, but there seems to be considerable enthusiasm for them. I just don't see why male Costco shoppers should get different treatment. But, again, maybe someone can make an argument that convinces me that I'm wrong about this.

[Anonymous]

How do you know some of your readers are not connected to law enforcement, and can identify this person, who has been accused of doing something unlawful?

I think you ought to take the license plate number down. To accuse someone in public of doing something illegal without any proof whatsoever is libelous. This person has been identified -- those with the means to do so can identify him. This seems to me an invasion of privacy and at the very least, in appropriate.

Please, to prevent this from happening again, take the man's license plate number off this website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know some of your readers are not connected to law enforcement, and can identify this person, who has been accused of doing something unlawful? I think you ought to take the license plate number down. To accuse someone in public of doing something illegal without any proof whatsoever is libelous. This person has been identified -- those with the means to do so can identify him. This seems to me an invasion of privacy and at the very least, in appropriate.

Please, to prevent this from happening again, take the man's license plate number off this website.

FWIW, I used to work in law enforcement many years ago and had access to CJIS and the MVA database, etc. It was absolutely illegal for us to look up something like this license plate number on a whim. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but there were stiff penalties for doing so, and over the years I saw two coworkers get fired for it.

[Anonymous]

It's personally identifying information - like posting someone's last name. The original poster has requested that the thread be removed. That should be sufficient, I would hope.

[jsteele]

I have deleted the thread at the original poster's request. I still do not consider the post to have been inappropriate. A license plate number is not "personally identifying information" as people do not have license plates. It identifies a car. This is exactly why a ticket from a red light or speed camera does not result in points on your driver's license. The camera cannot identify a person.