GPS spoofing is actively corrupting ADS-B surveillance data in live certificated airspace, creating false position pictures that controllers and pilots may have no immediate way to detect.
The FAA's Privacy ICAO Address program scrambles database lookups to obscure aircraft identity, but the unencrypted 1090 MHz signal remains visible to anyone with a $25 receiver.
TIS-B fills ADS-B traffic display gaps using FAA radar data, but latency, coverage holes, and non-transponder aircraft create blind spots every pilot must understand.
Flight trackers show pilots far more than position data - groundspeed variations, step climbs, and oceanic routing decisions are all readable in real time.
An ATC error nearly caused a Southwest 737 midair collision at Nashville, highlighting why pilots must maintain situational awareness even under radar control.