In late 2016, Joseph Tartaro, a security researcher, decided to get a vanity license plate. As someone deeply involved in the world of technology and programming, he toyed with the idea of getting a plate that related to his work, like “SEGFAULT” or something related to vulnerabilities. However, he ended up with a rather amusing choice – “NULL.”
Tartaro had an ingenious plan for his and his wife’s vehicles: his would have the “NULL” plate, and his wife’s would have “VOID.” Together, they would create the whimsical combination of “NULL and VOID” in their driveway.
Little did he know that this seemingly innocent and humorous decision would turn into a nightmare.
The Null String
In many programming languages, “null” is a special value that denotes an empty or undefined variable. It serves as the void – the absence of a meaningful value. And this is where the trouble began.
At first, Tartaro’s life as a “NULL” driver was uneventful. But when he attempted to renew his registration in 2017, he faced an unexpected issue. The California DMV website no longer allowed him to use “NULL” as an option. It simply broke the website, claiming that the license plate and vehicle identification number (VIN) he entered were invalid. Nevertheless, Tartaro managed to renew using a reference number and didn’t think much of it.
The Kafkaesque Loop of Tickets
However, trouble was brewing in the background. Tartaro received a ticket in early 2018 for not having the appropriate registration sticker on his license plate. While a minor infraction, it turned out to be the catalyst for his ordeal.
Dozens of traffic citations began flooding Tartaro’s mailbox. Parking violations, stop-sign violations, and fines of various amounts were being sent to him, ranging from $35 to $80, from cities he had never even visited.
It seemed that by paying the initial $35 ticket, a database somewhere had associated “NULL” with Joseph Tartaro’s personal information. Thus, any time a traffic cop failed to fill in the license plate number on a citation, the fine was automatically sent to him.
The Frustrating Pursuit of Resolution
Tartaro, understandably, was frustrated and sought resolution. The citations were being processed by a private company called the Citation Processing Center (CPC). However, reaching out to them proved fruitless, and he found himself entangled in a bureaucratic nightmare.
Attempts to communicate with the CPC led to altered records in their database, further adding to the confusion. The California DMV, while sympathetic, claimed limited control over local parking authorities’ policies, which were at the heart of the issue.
A Partial Reprieve
Over time, Tartaro managed to work with the DMV to void most of the wrongly assigned tickets. However, this didn’t entirely solve the problem, as citations continued to trickle in. Worse yet, the DMV eventually refused to let him renew his registration without paying some of the fines – a Catch-22 situation for Tartaro.
As of now, the situation has improved somewhat, with a reduced fine, but the core issue remains unresolved. Joseph Tartaro still cannot fully resolve the problem and is left with the conundrum of whether to keep his problematic “NULL” license plate or change it.
Lessons Learned
Tartaro’s story serves as a cautionary tale about the unintended consequences of seemingly harmless decisions, especially when dealing with computer systems and databases. A minor oversight can lead to significant issues, and fixing them can be a frustrating and convoluted process.
The tale of the “NULL” license plate reminds us of the importance of thorough testing, error handling, and proper validation in programming and system design. As technology becomes more intertwined with our lives, these considerations become all the more critical.
Let this story serve as a reminder to be mindful of the power of technology, even in seemingly trivial aspects of our lives, and to always approach it with prudence and respect for its potential repercussions.