So the other week, I noticed the large collapsible antenna in a back the van in the drive had an amateur radio plate near a friend’s house. Lots of radio amateurs get the plates. No big deal. I pulled out my phone and loaded up my QRZDroid app. It lets people look up who a license is assigned to. For example, if you look up mine it gives you my address and other pertinent info.

So what does this have to do with OPSEC? Well when I pulled the data up, it gave me the licensee’s address as a p.o. box. While that’s good it kind of defeats the purpose, when you park in the van in your drive way, with the antenna in the back yard.

The thing is, people take the precautions to protect themselves, but then make a simple mistake like parking a plate in the drive. Even if it wasn’t in the drive, I have a rough geo-graphic area, and the antenna kind of gives it away. It is also possible, based on the stuff I read in the Chamber’s P.I. Book, to go and find who a plate is assigned too.

The point is, if you’re going to try and hide your personal data, you need to think beyond just the simple stuff. The littlest things will give you way.

Sure you could say it was because of where I parked, but what if I was a Skip Tracer or Process Server? I have the city from the P.O. Box, I know what city to start in, now it’s just a case of driving around and looking for the plate.