By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it was making it easier for airplane owners to keep information private like their name and address after Congress approved legislation over privacy concerns.
The FAA said that starting on Friday, private aircraft owners and operators can electronically request that the agency withhold their aircraft registration information from public view. Social media accounts have used FAA registry information and Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast data to track private planes used by celebrities like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and singer Taylor Swift.
Some websites or social media bots track numerous planes used by well-known politicians and entertainers including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Harrison Ford, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey. Some sites seek to highlight the carbon emissions footprint of celebrities who regularly travel by private plane.
In February 2024, media outlets reported a lawyer for Swift sent a cease and desist letter to a college student that tracked Swift’s jet movements and posted regular social media updates.
Twitter — now known as X — suspended the creator of an account tracking Musk’s private jet in real-time soon after Musk bought Twitter.
The FAA said it will seek comment, including whether removing the information would affect the ability of stakeholders to perform necessary functions, such as maintenance, safety checks, and regulatory compliance.
The agency said it is also evaluating whether to default to withholding the personally identifiable information of private aircraft owners and operators from the public aircraft registry and provide a way for owners to download their data if needed.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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