Meta blocks celebrity private-jet tracking accounts
Meta changed course and suspended a number of accounts on Threads and Instagram that tracked the planes of famous figures yesterday, shifting their policy on the practice. The accounts tracked the locations the takeoffs and landings of private jets owned by Elon Musk (@elonmusksjet), Taylor Swift (@taylorswiftjets), Kim Kardashian (@kimkjet), Kylie Jenner (@kyliejennerjet), Jeff Bezos (@bezosjets), and Mark Zuckerberg (@zuckerbergjet).
Jack Sweeney, owner of the accounts, posted a letter protesting the bans, in which he wrote:
“What makes this more troubling is that l’ve received no communication from Meta—no warnings, no explanation. Reporters have reached out to Meta for clarification, but so far, there’s been silence. No matter the intent, this situation reflects poorly on Meta. Across platforms like X and Threads, I’ve had a total of 38 accounts suspended. The behavior is consistent: these platforms operate without transparency, and it feels like they make arbitrary decisions.”
Sweeney started the @ElonJet account on Twitter in 2020 and the account was banned after a public tussle with Elon Musk (prior to his purchase of the platform), who claimed journalists sharing details from the trackers were sharing his “assassination coordinates.”
In response, Sweeney launched a version of the account with a 24-hour delay to address safety concerns.
As Sweeney notes in his letter, the ADS-B data which powers the trackers are publicly available information, and can be collected in real time using cheap radio gear by hobbyists. But the unwanted attention brought by the accounts has upset the subjects of his tracking, such as Taylor Swift, who threatened legal action against Sweeney.
The ADS-B data have real utility beyond powering the interest of fans and critics of celebrities. Journalists have used such aircraft tracking to report on corporate executives using company jets for personal travel, government officials using taxpayer money for personal trips, Kobe Bryant’s 2020 helicopter crash, and the FBI’s use of surveillance aircraft over American cities.
“What makes this more troubling is that l’ve received no communication from Meta—no warnings, no explanation. Reporters have reached out to Meta for clarification, but so far, there’s been silence. No matter the intent, this situation reflects poorly on Meta. Across platforms like X and Threads, I’ve had a total of 38 accounts suspended. The behavior is consistent: these platforms operate without transparency, and it feels like they make arbitrary decisions.”
Sweeney started the @ElonJet account on Twitter in 2020 and the account was banned after a public tussle with Elon Musk (prior to his purchase of the platform), who claimed journalists sharing details from the trackers were sharing his “assassination coordinates.”
In response, Sweeney launched a version of the account with a 24-hour delay to address safety concerns.
As Sweeney notes in his letter, the ADS-B data which powers the trackers are publicly available information, and can be collected in real time using cheap radio gear by hobbyists. But the unwanted attention brought by the accounts has upset the subjects of his tracking, such as Taylor Swift, who threatened legal action against Sweeney.
The ADS-B data have real utility beyond powering the interest of fans and critics of celebrities. Journalists have used such aircraft tracking to report on corporate executives using company jets for personal travel, government officials using taxpayer money for personal trips, Kobe Bryant’s 2020 helicopter crash, and the FBI’s use of surveillance aircraft over American cities.
