MENLO PARK, USA – Meta has suspended Instagram and Threads accounts that tracked the private jets of high-profile individuals, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and other celebrities.
The move, which occurred on Monday, October 21, 2024, affects several popular accounts run by Florida college student Jack Sweeney, who had become known for using public data to monitor the flight patterns of billionaires and celebrities.
A Meta spokesperson explained the decision in a statement to TechCrunch, citing concerns about privacy and the potential for harm.
“Given the risk of physical harm to individuals, and in keeping with the independent Oversight Board’s recommendation, we’ve disabled these accounts for violating our privacy policy,” the spokesperson said.
The suspension impacted accounts that tracked the jets of figures like Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Kylie Jenner.
Links to Sweeney’s accounts tracking former president Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis also led to error messages on Monday, suggesting those pages had been removed as well.
The Instagram account that tracked Taylor Swift’s private jet was disabled earlier this year.
Sweeney, a 20-year-old college student, has been at the center of controversy for his tracking efforts, which he claims are based on publicly available data.
Despite Meta’s suspension, Sweeney tweeted from his personal account, “Today feels like December 15th, 2022,” referencing when Elon Musk banned his @ElonJet account from Twitter after acquiring the platform.
The move comes amid ongoing discussions about privacy in the age of digital transparency. In May, President Joe Biden signed legislation allowing private aircraft owners to anonymize their registration information.
Despite this, Sweeney has maintained that tracking high-profile flights remains possible, often relying on tips from other flight-tracking enthusiasts.
Meta’s decision follows increasing concerns about the safety of individuals whose movements are being tracked and shared in real-time.
While the accounts have attracted significant public interest, particularly from those curious about the travel habits of celebrities and business leaders, critics argue that such tracking poses serious risks, especially when the information could be used to target or stalk individuals physically.
The controversy underscores the tension between public interest and personal privacy, particularly as technology continues to make once-private information more accessible.
Sweeney’s tracking activities, while legal, have ignited debate over where to draw the line in balancing transparency with safety.
