Question for you all - when I see ads for used vehicles, many people cover up the license plate with their thumb or blur it out in the picture somehow. Why do people do this? Most peoples' names and addresses are readily available, so anyone driving down their street would be able to see their plate number anyway. Stopped at a light? Folks can see your plate number. What are people afraid of others determining from their license plate number?

There are ways to find personal information from your license plate. Carvana will give a quote online on how much they will buy your car for with as little as your plate number.

Covering up the plate is good security .

What cragar said is dead on.

What kind of personal information does the public have access to from a license plate number? I don't consider a quote from Carvana personal information.

It's a number that is visible all the time while your driving around or sitting in the driveway... I doubt many people are scrolling through Craigslist for liscense plate numbers when they could just walk down the street and get all they need

Paranoia.

Places like Carvana can instantly know the make , model and year of your car. They also know how many miles (dmv records) , if the vehicle was in an accident (carfax) , insurance information , banking/finance info and credit history.
This also includes name and address of where the vehicle is registered.

Luckily Carvana is a sorta trusted legit business.

The same information can be used by bad players to commit crimes. Like cloning a registration for a tractor trailer filled with illegal aliens left to die.

Having a license plate exposed in everyday life is one thing , posting it online is a whole different thing.

Yup. That's me to a minor occurrence. I've had my identity stolen once. A huge problem , I wish it on no one. A major PIA getting it straightened out.

One of the things I do (paranoia) is I always have a piece of scrap paper on the dash of my car. It sits on the dash on the extreme left. It is put purposely over the VIN plate that is easily visible through the windshield.
A lot of information can be gotten with that number. Ever notice a police or other LEO will check that number with the information gathered from your license plate? Confirms correct info by using a second source of ID.

I look at this way , by not posting your licence plate info online or making it easy to read your VIN number is like a closed/locked door. If the info is not easy to access , it is harder for someone to use that information against you.
Locks keep honest people honest. Open doors provide opportunities.

Cragar knows his stuff.