Blurring Out Car License Plates in News Video

[Torgo]

Why are automobile license plates sometimes blurred out on TV? If one could garner personal information from a car's license plate number and commit malfeasance, what's to stop them from standing in a parking lot and writing down numbers?

[Ringo]

It's probably an effort by the news concern to avoid any potential liability claims, or, I suppose, a claim of invasion of privacy. It's hardly a universal practice.