$4 App Can Track William's Flights: Report

Which constitutes something of a security hazard
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 26, 2015 7:00 AM CDT
$4 App Can Track William's Flights: Report
Prince William walks with an East Anglian Air Ambulance in the background, as he begins his new role, at Cambridge Airport, in England, Monday, July 13, 2015.   (Stefan Rousseau, Pool Photo via AP)

No sooner has Prince William begun a new job than cheap technology is out to ruin it for him: British tabloid journalists say they were able to track the man who's second in line to the throne as he made flights in his air ambulance using an app that goes for $3.99, reports the Independent citing the report in the Mail on Sunday. Reporters downloaded the flight-tracking Flightradar24 app—which blocks military flights, though not private air ambulance flights, from users—and say they received alerts every time William took to the skies over eastern England, raising what officials are calling a serious security risk.

Says a former head of the Royalty Protection Squad: "You always have to be aware of the advance of technology—which this illustrates—and the ability of these terrorist groups to think outside the box. You always, always have to be one step ahead." William's helicopter is relatively slow and low-flying, notes the AP. Royal reps had no comment. (More Prince William stories.)

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