Question about the Proper Etiquette of Posting License Plates

Hey all,

I didn't feel like hijacking the C&C thread, so I thought I'd start a new one dedicated to the issue it brought up.

I would like to know what the proper etiquette is when posting pictures and descriptions of other people's cars online. My reason for bringing this up is, whenever I see an exotic car, I like to snap a few pictures of it. I am on a couple of sites dedicated to the posting of exotic cars, and have posted some of the cars I have seen on these sites. Most of the time I cover the license plates, but I've never been sure of the proper process.

If I get the chance, I always ask the owner for permission to take pictures of his or her car. So far, no one has told me not to take pictures, and haven't objected when I shot the back of their car. But most of the time, I do not have a chance to talk to the owner (such as when I see something sitting alone in a parking lot, or driving on the road), and sometimes only have a few seconds to snap a picture.

I've also always wondered about custom plates. For instance, the Lotus Exige I saw yesterday had a pretty interesting plate on it, and from what I figure, if the owners didn't want people to notice their plates, they wouldn't pay extra for custom ones. I have been under the impression that most custom plates cannot be tracked as easily either. Are the rules different in this case?

I'd love to read your thoughts on this.

-Nicholas