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Congress revokes ability to track private jet usage of uber-rich

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Delhi, India
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A new law in the US has made it virtually impossible to monitor the private jet activities of celebrities and billionaires. This has sparked a debate on where to draw the line between protecting the privacy of the uber-rich and our right to call for climate accountability.

On May 16, President Biden signed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorisation bill into law, ushering in a new era of anonymity for private jet owners.

The move permits high-profile individuals to shield their aircraft registration information from public view and has raised concerns among environmental advocates about how it will affect climate accountability going forward.

Previously, aircraft ownership registration had to be transparent to enable researchers to track and calculate the emissions generated by frequent private jet usage and the impact of this on the environment.

So it makes sense that the amendment – which has allegedly been implemented as a security measure – is being criticised as a thinly-veiled attempt to obscure the carbon footprints of the uber-rich.

Those in favour argue that it addresses the issue of safety which celebrities and billionaires are growing increasingly anxious about as social media continues to blur the lines between private and public.

Those against have pointed out that numerous wealthy people were already finding ways to conceal their aircraft ownership through complex legal structures, making this a matter of maintaining a positive professional image, not safeguarding protection.

One such example is tech moguls like Mark Zuckerberg masking the registration of their private jet through independent LLC’s or trusts and, in turn, their connection to this heavily-polluting mode of transport.

 

How will this cloud transparency?

The popularity of tracking the private jet usage of the uber-rich stems from a mounting awareness across the globe that luxury air travel is having a detrimental impact on the planet.

Social media accounts, most notably @CelebrityJets, have played a significant role in drawing attention to this.

By documenting the flights of celebrities and billionaires, these profiles have ignited heated discussions about the responsibility of these individuals to prevent further environment degradation.

They have also bred a great deal of tension between privacy advocates and climate activists.

Of the several incidents that exemplify this, Elon Musk threatening legal action against Jack Sweeney (who runs @CelebrityJets) and temporarily banning him from X in 2020 is the most prominent.

More recently, Taylor Swift served Sweeney a cease-and-desist for posting about her private jet usage, which totalled at 178,000 miles in 2023.

Fortunately, this has not stopped Sweeney from sharing.

However, the flow of information he is involved in providing will be disrupted even more by the new law, which threatens to make it more challenging for watchdogs to hold the necessary people accountable for their outsized emissions.

At a time when climate change concerns have reached a peak – and the actions of influential figures are under growing scrutiny – this is a major setback.

Yet Sweeney remains undeterred. ‘The new law will not stop the tracking,’ he asserted on X, adding that while the legislation may complicate the process, it won’t render it completely impossible.

His persistence highlights something critical: that the law affects ownership registration but does not prohibit the tracking of the aircrafts themselves.

‘It doesn’t affect ADS-B—which identifies the tail number, the location, the altitude, the speed, and all the telemetry—at all,’ he told Thrillist. ‘It doesn’t stop the live data coming out of the plane.’

 

Looking ahead

In allowing anonymous registration, the legislation may inadvertently hinder the ability of law enforcement agencies to identify private jet owners when necessary.

With this now also a question of who will and who won’t be required to abide by the rules, it’s likely to spark a wider discussion on why the uber-rich are receiving special treatment.

But in terms of holding these high-profile individuals accountable for their contribution to the climate crisis, environmental organisations, activists, and social media users such as Sweeney (who refuses to take his eyes off the skies even if they have become more opaque) will need to develop new strategies.

This may involve working alongside celebrities and billionaires to find a solution that promotes transparency while protecting their privacy.

As the dust settles on this legislative change, however, one thing is clear: that the debate is far from over.

With this in mind it will be essential in the coming months and years to observe how this law affects public discourse on social responsibility, celebrity culture, and the right to privacy.

Contributing Writer Delhi, India

Sahil (they/them) is a remote writer for Thred and an economics undergraduate in India. Their diverse cultural background informs their writing and research on gender minorities, climate disparity, and intersectional social issues. When not delving into complex societal challenges, Sahil grapples with their ever-expanding library of unread books – a collection that grows faster than their ability to tackle it.

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