In that case, the information was posted online in a database, but I suspect people could feel differently if the name was signposted, depending on how prominently. In my neighborhood, people sometimes put their family name on their mailbox or curbside garbage bin, but this isn’t really intended to be public information, just a helpful hint to keep the mail and garbage from getting mixed up, and maybe a cute status symbol among neighbors. You can get letter stickers for these signs at the stationery store for a few bucks. I don’t ever tag these names.
By contrast, the owner of a farm may post their name at the gate to mark their land and perhaps help customers find their farmstand on weekends. Or a resident with a long driveway may post a vanity street sign with a name of their choosing (e.g., “Holly’s Way”) that’s also useful for wayfinding. (I don’t know if that’s allowed in that part of Ontario.) I would be more inclined to tag owners’ names in these cases.
If these signs are common and consistent, it makes me wonder if the local authorities have a program in place to signpost household names. If so, maybe we can learn more about the privacy expectations around those signs from how the program was introduced. For example, was it just for convenience or also to facilitate emergency services? Do residents have a choice about whether these signs are posted and what they say on them?
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