The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) recent move to allow private jet owners to keep their registration details private upon request may not have the desired effect of thwarting celebrity jet trackers, according to one prominent tracker. Jack Sweeney, known for his accounts tracking the flights of celebrities like Elon Musk and Taylor Swift, claims that he doesn't rely on the FAA's database to identify jets and instead uses alternative sources.

Sweeney's statement comes in response to the FAA's announcement that it is considering defaulting to withholding personally identifiable information from registration records. This change is part of the agency's efforts to comply with the Biden-era FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which was written in response to privacy concerns raised about jet trackers like Sweeney's ElonJet account. The account was banned on Twitter in 2022 and later on Meta's Threads and Instagram.

According to Sweeney, learning who owns what planes already requires research, and he and other jet trackers often use the media and associated sources rather than the FAA's database of registrations. This approach allows them to circumvent the FAA's new policy and continue tracking celebrity flights. Sweeney also suspects that the rule may not apply to those who register their jets with trusts or other entities, something he claims private jet owners do regularly.

However, an FAA spokesperson, Kevin Morris, clarified that when the agency says it will withhold "personally identifiable information," it is referring to both individuals and entities (trusts, LLCs, etc.) operating private aircraft. This suggests that the FAA's new policy may still have some impact on celebrity jet trackers, even if they don't rely solely on the agency's database.

The National Business Aviation Association has been reached out to for comment on Sweeney's commentary, but no response has been received yet. The association may provide further insight into the implications of the FAA's policy change on the private aviation industry.

The controversy surrounding celebrity jet trackers highlights the ongoing debate about privacy in the digital age. While the FAA's new policy aims to protect the privacy of private jet owners, it may not be enough to prevent determined trackers from finding alternative sources of information. As the use of private jets continues to grow, it remains to be seen how the industry will balance privacy concerns with the public's interest in tracking celebrity flights.

In the meantime, Sweeney's comments suggest that celebrity jet trackers will continue to find ways to track and share information about private flights, even if it means using alternative sources and methods. The cat-and-mouse game between jet trackers and private jet owners is likely to continue, with the FAA's policy change being just one of many developments in this ongoing saga.