17 Websites That Feel Illegal But Aren't
Some public internet tools feel too powerful for normal people. They are legal, open, and often boringly official. The weird part is how much they reveal when you know where to look.
1. Live flight trackers
You can watch thousands of aircraft move in real time from your browser.
2. Marine vessel maps
Global shipping routes are visible, searchable, and unexpectedly addictive.
3. Earthquake dashboards
Real-time seismic feeds make the planet feel alive under your feet.
4. Lightning maps
Storm strikes plotted live look like sci-fi battlefield telemetry.
5. Satellite weather loops
Cloud systems and cyclones evolving in high-speed playback.
6. Public procurement portals
Government spending records are searchable with painful transparency.
7. Court docket systems
Legal timelines, filings, and procedural activity, all publicly indexed.
8. Domain history tools
See ownership shifts, old snapshots, and registration metadata.
9. Building permit databases
Track new projects and neighborhood changes before they are visible.
10. Radio scanner directories
In many regions, public safety channels are browsable online.
11. Web archive snapshots
Browse years-old versions of websites that no longer exist.
12. Public camera feeds
Transport and city cameras with open access and no login.
13. Geospatial parcel maps
Property boundaries and records layered over detailed maps.
14. Open patent search
See invention filings from giant companies and solo inventors.
15. Real-time power grid views
Energy production, demand spikes, and import/export flows by region.
16. Government data portals
Public datasets on health, transport, economics, and more.
17. Open astronomy maps
Sky catalogs and telescope feeds that feel like private observatory access.
The internet still rewards curiosity: much of what looks "hidden" is just undocumented to everyday users.