Somebody used spoofed ADSB signals to raster the meme of JD Vance

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

What Actually Happened

  • Consensus in the thread is that no radio (RF) ADS‑B signals were spoofed.
  • Instead, someone likely set up or compromised a feeder that uploads bogus ADS‑B data directly to ADSBExchange via its API.
  • Other major aggregators (FR24, adsb.fi, adsb.lol, airplanes.live, etc.) do not show this track, reinforcing that it was site‑specific vandalism, not over‑the‑air spoofing.
  • The “VANCE 1” 747 track has obviously impossible parameters (e.g., 50k ft at ~80 knots) and appears as a rasterized meme image centered near Mar‑a‑Lago.

ADS‑B Technology & Data Feeds

  • ADS‑B is a broadcast telemetry system on 1090 MHz (and 978 MHz in some regions), unencrypted and unauthenticated.
  • Hobbyists use cheap SDRs and antennas to receive these signals and feed them to aggregation sites in exchange for access or perks.
  • Planes self‑report position, heading, and altitude, so in principle anyone can generate “ghost” aircraft.
  • However, this case involved Internet‑level spoofing rather than RF transmission.

Legality and Regulatory Questions

  • If RF spoofing had occurred, commenters agree it would clearly violate FCC rules (unlicensed operation, willful interference) and possibly be treated as aircraft interference or sabotage.
  • There is debate over whether non‑aircraft ADS‑B transmitters are explicitly forbidden, but operating in those bands without proper authorization would still be illegal.
  • For API misuse, some suggest Computer Fraud and Abuse Act or wire‑fraud theories; others argue that, after recent case law, mere ToS violations on a user‑content platform are not CFAA violations.
  • General view: as done here (API spoofing only), it’s closer to vandalizing Wikipedia than attacking safety‑critical infrastructure.

Safety & Operational Impact

  • Multiple pilots and technically informed commenters stress that ATC and TCAS do not rely on public aggregators like ADSBExchange or FlightAware.
  • Some controllers might casually use public sites for situational awareness, but not for separation services.
  • RF spoofing near busy airports could be confusing and dangerous, but the cost‑risk‑reward ratio and enforcement risk deter serious attempts.

Security, Crowdsourcing, and Abuse

  • ADSBExchange’s model is inherently vulnerable to falsified data from authenticated feeders; authentication works, but data verification is weak by design.
  • Some propose better heuristics (e.g., cross‑checking multiple feeders in dense areas) to flag anomalous tracks.
  • Others see this as a reminder that hobbyist, crowdsourced systems should not be treated as authoritative aviation data.

Political / Cultural Reactions

  • Many commenters find the stunt technically clever and funny, especially the rasterized meme and its placement.
  • Others see it as juvenile but symbolically fitting given current U.S. political culture and meme‑driven discourse.
  • There is some broader political talk about Trump, Vance, authoritarian leaders, and overuse of “domestic terrorism” rhetoric, but that’s tangential to the technical issue.