Benzinga - by Bibhu Pattnaik, Benzinga Staff Writer.
The days of tracking celebrity private jets might be coming to an end. A new FAA law could allow private aircraft owners to hide their travel data.
What Happened: President Joe Biden signed the FAA reauthorization into law on May 16. The law includes a section on data privacy that enables private plane owners to request their flight data be withheld from public sites.
The law mandates the FAA to create a system allowing private aircraft owners to fly under a temporary registration number and block identifiable data from public dissemination.
This could significantly reduce the visibility of private jet travels, reported Business Insider.
Private jet owners like Elon Musk and Taylor Swift use federal programs like the Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) list and the Privacy ICAO address (PIA) to obscure their flight data.
However, the new law allows PIA applicants to travel internationally without changing their PIA code.
Jet-tracking expert Jack Sweeney, known for tracking Musk's jet, commented on X that the new law might not fully disguise private aircraft.
He stated, "We can still figure out who's who via context clues."
Let this be said that this doesn’t prevent us from tracking jets. We can still figure out who’s who via context clues.Read Also: 'Taylor Swift Right To Be Concerned:' Elon Musk Calls Celebrity Jet Tracker 'Awful Human Being'— Jack Sweeney (@Jxck_Sweeney) May 15, 2024
Prior to this law, the LADD and PIA programs were used by many celebrities and businesspeople but were not foolproof. Publicly available software and context clues still allowed for tracking.
An FAA spokesperson confirmed that the agency would comply with the new legislation. Aviation attorney Mark Dombroff told Business Insider that the law reflects the government's response to security concerns raised by celebrities like Musk.
Why It Matters: The new FAA law comes after a year of heightened scrutiny on celebrity jet travel. In December 2023, Musk was reported to have spent significant time flying in his private jets, raising questions about environmental impact and privacy concerns.
In February, Swift silenced a student who was tracking her flights, highlighting the lengths to which celebrities will go to protect their privacy.
This new legislation directly responds to these high-profile cases, aiming to balance privacy concerns with the public's right to information.
Now Read: Taylor Swift's Legal Threats Against Student For Tracking Her Private Jet
This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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