Jack Sweeney, a college student who had been following the private planes of a number of well-known celebrities, including Taylor Swift and Elon Musk, had his accounts suspended by Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Threads. Because of Meta’s lack of openness, this choice has caused criticism and impacts Sweeney’s well-known jet-tracking profiles.
On X (previously Twitter), Sweeney expressed his annoyance at the sudden and unjustified blackout of his @elonmusksjet account. He added that most of his celebrity jet-tracking accounts on Instagram and Threads were removed on Monday, except for those tracking former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Meta released a statement in response to the suspensions, stating that the accounts were deleted for breaching their privacy policy. Sweeney’s tracking actions presented a “risk of physical harm to individuals,” according to Meta, as revealing the whereabouts of public personalities in real time may put them in danger. This logic aligns with a similar position that X adopted after Elon Musk became CEO in 2022. Concerned for personal safety, Musk had already rewritten X’s privacy regulations to forbid the sharing of real-time location data and denounced the accounts as a safety hazard.
Sweeney, a University of Central Florida student, has defended his behavior by highlighting the value of openness. He feels that he is acting in the public interest by disclosing details regarding celebrity travel. His jet-tracking accounts calculate the environmental impact of flights, especially regarding carbon emissions, making his work even more significant.
Nevertheless, the people he tracks have taken notice of his actions. Sweeney had previously received a severe warning from Taylor Swift’s legal team, who accused him of “stalking and harassing behavior.” They stated that Swift and her family suffered psychologically and physically because of his conduct. They threatened to take legal action against him if he continued watching her flights.
In a similar vein, Sweeney rejected Elon Musk’s original $5,000 offer to stop tracking his private jet. Then, he offered a larger amount of $50,000. However, Musk did not reply to this offer.
Sweeney has received significant attention for her work. It goes beyond tracing the travels of celebrities to include Russian oligarchs. In 2024, Forbes included him in their 30 Under 30 list for consumer technology. This recognition demonstrates the prominence and impact of his jet-tracking initiative. However, the recent suspensions from Meta highlight the difficulties he will have carried on with his contentious but significant job.
