Here’s one freaky thing you should know before using in-flight wifi the next time you fly

Here’s one freaky thing you should know before using in-flight wifi the next time you fly

Ya, so we are totally not okay with this. Apparently the government is tracking your internet use when you’re on an airplane. We bet you had no idea!

Everyone knows that you have to turn off your data, or put your phone on airplane mode, but what happens when you decide to use the airline’s free wifi network to watch Netflix on your phone? What about when you actually pay for wifi to get your latest term paper done, or just have it on as you fly?

Well, according to a new report from Le Monde, a French newspaper, the government is tracking you every time you use the internet on an airplane. The publication revealed that American and British intelligence agencies have been tracking phone use on different airlines since 2005.

This was way before wifi was so common on flights within these countries, so you can only imagine how much worse the tracking will become now that we all use our phones all the time while traveling.

The publication explained that Aviation security authorities have all approved the use of GSM phones on aircrafts and therefore the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 will become the years of long-term installation of in-flight wifi, which leads to more tracking.

“This will further extend the scope of espionage by providing a pool of potential targets comprising several hundreds of thousands of people, a level of popularity anticipated by the NSA seven years ago,” Le Monde reported. “This implies a population that goes far beyond terrorist targets. The political or economic surveillance of passengers in business or in first class on long-haul flights could be put to many other uses.”

These scary revelations were supplied by National Security Agency whistleblower, Edward Snowden, Thrillist reported.

“It all points to a program called ‘Thieving Magpie,’ orchestrated by Great Britain’s GCHQ, which enables government sleepers to pinpoint your location anytime your phone is turned on above 10,000 feet,” the publication explained.

While these tracking mechanisms are meant to find terrorists and see what’s happening on a political front, it’s pretty freaky knowing that every time you turn on your phone or use wifi on a plane, you’re being watched!

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