This (air)ship has sailed long ago. Even without ADS-B - which in effect will broadcast your location to any receiver, internet or not - there are many other sources. From flight plans, to radio communications, which are not encrypted in any way and can be listened to by whoever bothers to have a receiver (and not even counting liveatc.net)

There are likely to be other information sources that are out there in the open. I assume there's extensive paper trail, starting from the point someone decides to purchase aircraft, to aircraft maintenance. And even more if they want to pilot themselves.

Even without zero technology there are plane spotters, although they will likely not be interesting in every Cessna 172 that flies by.

None of this is very surprising though. The aircraft industry thrives on transparency. Which is a good thing for safety.

Note that you'll be tracking the aircraft, not who is flying it. For instance, we know that Elon Musks' aircraft tail number is N628TS (btw - N, or November, also tells us it's from the US). I just did a quick google search for it. So now you can track it. Whether or not there's anyone else other than the pilot is another matter entirely.

If you want privacy, owning an aircraft is not the way to go. Renting or chartering one might be better against casual observers, but there is still a paper trail. You may be able to add some more levels of indirection.

That said, you are correct that there is a slippery slope. For aircraft, the above is understandable, as you are dealing with human lives, including on the ground. However, now the FAA wants to add even more strict requirements for _drone_ operators(even recreational), including broadcasting your own position at all times while operating a drone. At least one can argue that you are safe while flying an aircraft, no such thing if you are on the ground. https://www.thedroneu.com/blog/faa-announces-drone-remote-id...