SoCalBrian

Asking the Pilots / Aircraft owners on this forum on what they think.

Should ADS-B Transponder Data be Encrypted ?

ADS-B lacks encryption necessary to keep those communications private (Aircraft Registration, Location and other stuff).

The development of an encrypted ADS-B based security identification system for small aircraft appears very promising and should be quickly pursued, including conducting field tests and developing standards for airborne small aircraft identification procedures.
http://www.icas.org/ICAS_ARCHIVE/ICA...PAPERS/805.PDF (PDF FILE)

The ability to encrypt ADS-B message transactions would afford protection to ensure that the confidentiality of aircraft data is not compromised.
http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=24...reflayout=flat


From CEO Mike of Flightradar24.com
" The people deciding this does not care what you see or think. There are strong forces who want to encrypt ADS-B data and even if it will not happen 2013, 2014 or 2015, we don't want to be the accelerator behind this decision. "
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ha...ml#post1493978
" In my private opinion FR24 should work with authorities, and not against them."
http://forum.flightradar24.com/threa...locked-flights

From FAA.gov
Will the information broadcast by ADS-B Out be encrypted for security purposes?
ADS-B data can be received by any aircraft, vehicle, or ground station equipped to receive ADS-B. No specific encryption is specified.
http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/implement...s/adsb/faq/#31

ADS-B encryption issues
http://www.nnsquad.org/archives/nnsquad/msg04339.html

Post from 2010 - ADS-B a terrorist tool?
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum...ad.php?t=38211
http://www.airsport-corp.com/adsb2.htm

CRM114

Yes. It's already possible to hack ACARS, ADS should be encrypted. The problem is that the current crop of avionics would need to have the ability to install the encryption key which would require modification, STC, out of service aircraft, etc. Follow the money, it's not going to happen.

satpak77

Should it ? yes (my opinion)

Will it ? no

savall

I think this is a much bigger area of concern for corporate aircraft / GA aircraft as has been discussed previously on the flightaware blocking thread.

Airlines would likely garner negative publicity if they did since a lot of their publicly available tracking info online comes from this data (aside from the airlines website of course).

abelenky

SoCalBrian writes about keeping ADS-B communications private.

Private from whom, exactly?

The whole point of ADS-B is to broadcast aircraft position information so that planes can avoid each other. Who do you not want to have this information?

Considering that any aircraft, down to the smallest LSA, should be able to both broadcast and receive ADS-B info, any "bad guys" you might want to keep away from the info could simply, legitimately, buy or rent an LSA, and have all the info available. I do not see how encryption can work in a system where the whole point is to let others know where you are.

How does sending ADS-B out to only "good guys" work, when the "bad guys" can become "good guys" for the price of an LSA rental? (or even less?)

rickair7777

This issue is not about security, it's about privacy for the pinnacle of American wealth and privilege. CEOs, politicians, and the ultra-rich don't want shareholders and the public privy to the details of their luxury rides, simple as that.

You can make at least a thin case that security could be an issue for a very few bizjet users, and possibly a case that such data might hint at business deals in the works, or exposure marital infidelity. IMO this is pretty thin...rich folks don't get to remove the license plates from the limos and Bentley's and there's no law against private investigators tracking someone's movements in any vehicle, this is kind of the aviation equivalent of that.