No, tracking private planes is not illegal. In most cases, the only requirement is that the aircraft has a transponder that emits a signal that can be picked up by ground-based receivers. This doesn't infringe on the privacy of the people onboard the aircraft, as they are not being tracked by their personal data.

No, it is not illegal to track a private plane in 2026, as aircraft are required to broadcast their location for safety and air traffic control purposes. Most modern aircraft use ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) technology, which transmits unencrypted data including GPS coordinates, altitude, and tail numbers that anyone with a $20 receiver can pick up. While high-profile individuals can apply for programs like LADD (Limited Aircraft Data Display) or PIA (Privacy ICAO Address) to hide their identity from public flight-tracking websites like FlightAware, these programs do not block the raw radio signals. Enthusiasts and "bot" accounts frequently scrape this raw data to post real-time updates on social media. While the FAA has introduced more "privacy" layers in 2026, the act of receiving and sharing publicly broadcasted radio signals remains protected under current communication and transparency laws in the U.S. and Europe.