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Taylor Swift and Elon Musk have something in common. That means they don’t want their private jet’s real-time location data to be published online for everyone to see.
But in the U.S., aircraft data is legally available for real-time tracking, which experts say is important for safety and efficiency. Websites that track commercial aircraft use and publish this data to provide insights to consumers, such as on-time performance records, but websites that track private aircraft use and publish this data to provide insights to consumers, such as on-time performance records, but those trying to track private planes with celebrities and other public figures The same data is available to virtually anyone.
Musk famously banned an X (formerly Twitter) account that shared the whereabouts of his jet, and in recent months Swift’s lawyers have demanded that accounts on the platform stop tracking her plane. did. According to the Washington Post, they sent a letter to Jack Sweeney, the college student behind the various tracking accounts, saying the only public need for the information was “stalking, harassment, exercise of control and control.” insisted.
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The problem for celebrities who worry about obsessive fans and people with malicious intent following their every move is that the information Sweeney shares is based on publicly available data, so Sweeney’s actions are is actually not illegal. Still, experts and advocates say there are legitimate concerns for private jet owners.
Dan Hubbard, a spokesman for the National Business Aviation Association, said recently developed technology has expanded the availability of information by making it possible to “track anyone anywhere in the world in real time. “This has increased the risk for people flying.” As long as you have an internet connection, your motivation can be anything. ”
How is Taylor Swift’s jet being tracked?
Sweeney has several social media accounts that track various aircraft owned by celebrities, billionaires, Russian oligarchs, and politicians. Some accounts also analyze the carbon footprint of jet owners’ travel.
Information does not come from a single source. It includes data compiled from several different publicly available sources, including registration information from the Federal Aviation Administration and broadcast signals from the aircraft themselves. These signals are known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) data.
ADS-B technology is required by the Federal Aviation Administration for aircraft to share real-time location, altitude, and other information important to air traffic controllers. This data also allows sites like FlightAware.com to display real-time commercial aircraft locations.
Hubbard said the technology is “game-changing” for safety and flight route efficiency. Hubbard said the FAA and Congress have made sure for years that jet owners with safety or privacy concerns have a way to opt out of real-time data sharing. However, this does not stop the spread of infection from airplanes.
How is real-time location tracking legal?
The equipment needed to receive ADS-B transmissions is inexpensively available to virtually anyone, and websites that publish flight data obtained from the aircraft itself are not required to follow the FAA’s opt-out rules.
Sites like ADS-B Exchange crowdsource data from aviation enthusiasts across the country who own the appropriate equipment and can provide a fairly accurate real-time picture of a plane’s location. This includes commercial aircraft whose owners have asked his FAA to suppress information. The data tells you where planes take off and land, but it doesn’t tell you who’s on board.
The founder of ADS-B Exchange told NBC News in 2022 that it was not created for people to stalk celebrities. “The purpose of this site is not to be a paparazzi. It’s for aviation enthusiasts,” Dan Streufert said, adding that the site is not meant to adjudicate information that is already widely available, so public figures It added that no data will be deleted.
What about privacy issues?
Both Musk and Swift have cited threats to their safety. In a letter provided to the Post, Swift’s lawyers said Sweeney’s testimony caused “direct and irreparable harm and emotional and physical suffering” and made her feel unsafe. He said he put him in danger.
Sweeney has previously said that he recognizes the safety concerns, but that social media accounts are only sharing information that is already public.
“I think there are legitimate concerns, but right now (Musk) You’re trying to say it’s personal information.” Sweeney told USA TODAY in 2022 after Musk permanently banned his account @ElonJet from X/Twitter. We’re not hacking the system. It’s all there. ”
“And if it’s a safety concern, we need to work with regulators like the FAA and others to fix something further,” he wrote.
Hubbard, of the National Business Aviation Association, said safety concerns are understandable, citing incidents that posed a security threat to veterans returning to their home airports, and anti-war protests following flight information. I only encountered the participants.
“Advances in technology can often have unintended consequences,” Hubbard said. “So what you’re seeing is this kind of tracking, this kind of flight stalking, and this is a real problem on several levels.”
Is disclosing my flight location considered stalking?
Swift’s lawyers said Sweeney’s actions amounted to “stalking and harassment,” but privacy and technology experts said that under the law, the flight could not be tracked and its location made public. states that it does not constitute stalking or “doxxing”, which involves targeting someone and revealing personal information such as their address. For harm or abuse.
“Simply posting public information does not meet the definition of stalking under state law,” said Chris Hoefnagle, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who focuses on the interaction of law and technology.
Jasmine McNeely, an associate professor at the University of Florida who researches digital privacy, said that while there may be natural concerns about the safety of celebrities flying private jets, she believes Sweeney’s posts and the operation of the flight tracking website said there was no necessary malice. Being considered stalking or leaking personal information.
“What the students did here was [public information] McNeely told USA TODAY, adding that rapid advances in technology have made it easier to collect and share information that was previously always publicly available but difficult to find, drawing the ire of some celebrities. Ta.
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