506
USA Today has published a database of license plates that have been searched with Flock
(data.usatoday.com)
this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2026
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politics
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Totally not being sold.
To who, and for what? At least conspiracy theories used to make sense
If you think the government is the only organization using your data against you friend, you're living in a different era. Insurance companies, banks, ad farms, private security, AI tech giants, etc., etc., ad nauseum are all using your public and private profile to shape every second of every day. Testing your limits, tracking your movements, mapping your relationships, your buying patterns, and making you dance like a puppet for their entertainment.
The government is the least scary of the groups shaping your world, because at least there's hypothetically an accountability mechanism in the democratic process. Public, private, it really makes little difference, if you trust any of them without question, you're playing yourself
What's the business case here for this example?
I'm skeptical, but to play devil's advocate: I guess it could help a data broker that had some information attached to a license plate number, perhaps including your identity. When you enter your license plate number into this web search, they can associate the IP address and browser fingerprint of the request with the license plate and therefore with your identity and any other data in the first database. This enables them to connect your identity and your vehicle to whatever online activity data they have for that IP address and/or browser fingerprint.
The obvious example is how Facebook tracks your physical location and nearby devices to determine what ads to serve you. That's often why people think Facebook is listening to them and serving them ads for things they mentioned in casual conversation but haven't searched for themselves. They didn't search for it, but their friend did, and they know if you get an ad for that thing you're more likely to click through based on potential word-of-mouth effects. They're using your IRL social network and physical location as an extension of their ad algorithm.
To sell you something or control you.
How would a company knowing your license plate number help with that. I don’t want them to have it (or anything else), but I legitimately cannot think of a use case
To sell to other companies so they can compare your data on various sources.
..what could your license plate number even be used for
Tell me your license plate number and the state/province and I’ll tell you a lot about you.
OK, SMU-248 MN. You’ll be able to find out its make and model, that’s it, unless you work for law enforcement or an insurance agency. If you’re able to find out my name from it, tell it to me, but it’s literally impossible/illegal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_Privacy_Protection_Act
But remember they'd also have your IP address, which could be linked to a lot of other data. It's not that IP address + license plate is useful in itself, but that a connection is now made that could be valuable to a data broker who already has other information connected to one or both sides. And even if you fake your IP address, there's browser fingerprinting.
I should have specified I need a photo of it to be sure you’re not making it up 🥰
No, because then you could use the metadata in the picture to find out where I took it, I’m not stupid. Tell me the name or the address of who has that plate.
So remove the metadata or better yet, turn off location tagging entirely.
Don’t make excuses.
Couple things - first, these ‘data brokers’ wouldn’t be getting a picture of the plate if you searched it up on the database, just the plate number. Second, why would having a picture of it even help lol. It would just be the verifying it’s my plate and I already gave you the plate number, explain it first before I even bother.
No this is because I know you’re not giving me a real plate. You want a goose chase and I want to show you how easy it is.
When you decide to stop lying, come back.
lol thanks for admitting you’re full of shit. If you type in a plate on this website, it’ll tell you if it’s real or not, it even tells you the make and model for free. Try looking up a fake plate and you’ll see it says ‘no results found’
https://www.jdpower.com/cars/license-plate-lookup-and-decoder
I’ve admitted nothing. Wow, I think you need to read slower.
I KNOW YOU GAVE ME A FAKE PLATE.
Stop embarrassing yourself.
Literally just type it into that website.
I literally know you’re lying because you’re running around like a headless chicken trying to come up with responses that will get you out of this… but everyone can see how full of shit you are.
Show me a photo of your Michigan license plate (smu248). Otherwise you are lying and we should just stop talking.
Yikes sorry I correctly called you out for making shit up and now you’re lashing out. Also, ‘MN’ is the abbreviation for Minnesota, not Michigan lol
I’m not lashing out, yes it’s funny that I mistook took it for Michigan.
I’m still waiting for that photo, liar.
I know I should stop replying but I know you’re getting mad/embarrassed so I’ll keep going. OK, say it’s not my plate, I picked it from a random car in the parking lot. Who owns it? Just gimme their first name.
Sweetie, why would I be embarrassed? You’re the one lying in public. I would be more than happy to go back to where I tell you who you are based on your license plate.
Thank you for admitting, somewhat, that you did lie and that that was not your plate.
If you think it would be appropriate to put someone else’s license plate on the Internet in a conversation where a person is saying they can identify them, then sure, show me your neighbor’s license plate.
Or, just admit that you’re too scared to give your real plate because you know there’s actually a chance I can tell you the information.
You know that if I took a picture of it you could be saying the same exact thing, that there’s no proof I own it and I just took a picture of a car in a parking lot.
Please keep going and let me point out more holes in your logic
Yawn. Keep making excuses.