Radar App, ADS-B devices Seized Over NatSec Concerns

The aircraft tracking and route viewing app Flight radar 24 recently disappeared from online stores in China, and hundreds of ADS-B devices have been seized in what seems to be a government crackdown on aviation hobbyist data collection.

Chinese national security authorities claim that various foreign institutions have been trying to recruit citizens to share data with them in an apparent effort to track and monitor the transit of aircraft throughout the country. While such services are perfectly legal in many countries, the collection and transfer of such information could be deemed illegal under Chinese data law. 

Reports have claimed that foreign sources were offering free equipment and access to secured data to tempt prospective recruits into their data collection scheme. In an address regarding the issue, a spokesman for the Ministry of State Security said, "From our investigation we found that these devices use encryption when they are transmitting and they cover a large amount of data, the purpose of which is exactly to prevent interception by cybersecurity authorities in different countries. This is very clear." The Ministry stated that as few as 300 ADS-B devices were needed to track the entirety of Chinese airspace, and that they could track the transition of military equipment nationwide.

Flightradar 24 reported that Apple had notified them of the removal, but had not passed along any contact or rationale from authorities back east. The removal only adds to the dampening of civil aviation enthusiasm and career-track fans that make aviation so much more successful in the west. ADS-B equipment has no way to track military aircraft that do not wish to be tracked, but like many legislative and procedural choices in China, the actual details are mostly irrelevant, with little recourse for restoration. 

FMI: www.flightradar24.com