Meta has suspended several Instagram and Threads accounts that tracked the private jet flights of high-profile celebrities, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Kylie Jenner. The decision, which came on Monday, has raised questions about privacy, safety, and the future of flight tracking for these notable figures.
The accounts were operated by Jack Sweeney, a Florida college student known for his interest in tracking the flights of prominent individuals. His accounts had gained significant followings, with some attracting thousands of followers who were keen to monitor the travel patterns of their favourite celebrities. Sweeney’s account dedicated to tracking Elon Musk’s jet, for instance, garnered immense attention before its permanent suspension in late 2022 on Twitter, a platform Musk now owns. This tracking practice, while captivating for many followers, raised serious privacy concerns.
According to a Tech Crunch report, Meta suspended these accounts amidst “risk of physical harm” to the individuals being tracked. A spokesperson for Meta emphasized that the action aligns with the company’s privacy policy and reflects recommendations from its independent Oversight Board.
The jet-tracking accounts provided real-time updates on flight movements. These accounts used publicly available data to show the flight paths of private jets owned by celebs. Sweeney himself has argued that, despite the new privacy measures, it remains relatively easy to track these jets using information from various public sources and flight tracking websites.
Following the suspensions, Sweeney expressed his disappointment on his personal social media account, drawing parallels to the feeling he had when his original @ElonJet account was removed from Twitter. With the recent signing of a bill by President Joe Biden that allows private aircraft owners to anonymise their registration information, it appears the landscape of private flight tracking is changing and for good.
“Today feels like December 15th 2022,” Sweeney posted on Thread from his personal account.
