Guide · Reviewed 9 October 2026
Aircraft privacy in Canada.
U.S. owners can ask to have their flight data blocked, fly with a private aircraft address, and keep their name off the public register. Canada offers civil owners none of these.
Canada compared with the U.S.
| Option | Canada | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Block flight data from commercial data feeds | Only for certain RCAF call signs (2022)[1] | Yes, on request (FAA LADD)[2] |
| Private aircraft address | No. The FAA’s program is for U.S.-registered aircraft only[3] | Yes, on request (FAA PIA)[3] |
| Owner’s name and address withheld from the public register | No. The register is public and shows the registered owner[4][5] | Yes, on request[6] |
In the U.S. this is law: the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act requires the FAA, on a private owner’s request, to withhold the aircraft’s registration number and similar data from broad display.[2] FlightAware says that in Europe, non-commercial aircraft are blocked by default unless the owner asks to be tracked.[7]
The mechanism already exists.
In July 2022, NAV CANADA asked the FAA to add RCAF call signs to the LADD filter, so flights using them are kept off tracking sites that receive the FAA’s data. NAV CANADA said it does this when the RCAF identifies an operational need.[1]
Canada can already keep flight data off public sites. We have found no equivalent for civil owners.
What should change.
Open the existing arrangement to civil owners
Let private owners ask for their aircraft’s data to be kept off public sites, as the RCAF already can.
Let owners withhold their name and address
From the public register, as the FAA now allows.
Create a private aircraft address program
Like the FAA’s PIA, for flights in Canadian airspace.
What it would and would not do.
A Canadian program would cover the data Canada controls: the feeds that commercial tracking sites receive, and the public register.
It would not reach community networks that collect aircraft signals with their own receivers, such as ADS-B Exchange and Airplanes.live, which say they do not filter aircraft (see the coverage list). LADD has the same limit in the U.S.: it filters the FAA’s own data feed only.[2]
Since NAV CANADA’s ADS-B Out requirements took effect in 2023 and 2024, more Canadian aircraft broadcast a signal these networks can receive.[8] Monitoring stays necessary either way.
What owners can do today.
OffRadar files with every source that offers a removal route, checks each result itself, and keeps watch every week.
Stay informed
Rule changes, by email.
Occasional updates on the rules for Canadian aircraft.
Sources
- The Globe and Mail, Canadian military looking at blocking real-time tracking of flights, including PM’s plane (opens in a new tab), 20 July 2022.
- Federal Aviation Administration, Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) (opens in a new tab), page updated 1 May 2025.
- Federal Aviation Administration, ADS-B Privacy (PIA) (opens in a new tab), accessed 9 October 2026.
- Fasken, Key Aviation Registers in Canada (opens in a new tab), May 2024.
- Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, Investigation involving Transport Canada (the “mosaic effect”) (opens in a new tab), 2014.
- Federal Aviation Administration, Request to Withhold Aircraft Ownership Data (opens in a new tab), page updated 28 August 2026.
- FlightAware, FlightAware Global (opens in a new tab), accessed 9 October 2026.
- NAV CANADA, Updated Timeline for ADS-B Out Performance Requirements Mandate in Canadian Domestic Airspace (opens in a new tab), 10 August 2023.
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 9 October 2026.