Taylor Swift and Elon Musk have something in common: They don't want real-time location data for their private jets published online for all to see.

But in the United States, aircraft data is legally available for real-time tracking, something experts say is critical for safety and efficiency. Websites that track commercial flights use and publish it to provide consumer insights like on-time records, but the same data can be scooped up by virtually anyone looking to follow private planes with celebrities and other public figures, too.

Musk famously banned accounts on X, formerly Twitter, that shared the whereabouts of his jet and in recent months, Swift's lawyers demanded that accounts on the platform stop tracking her plane. They fired off letters to a college student behind an assortment of tracking accounts, Jack Sweeney, according to the Washington Post, alleging the only public need for the information was "to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control.”