Meta Suspends College Student Jack Sweeney's Instagram And Threads Accounts Tracking Celebrity Jets

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has suspended the Instagram and Threads accounts of college student Jack Sweeney, known for tracking the private jets of celebrities, including Taylor Swift and Elon Musk. Sweeney reported that his @elonmusksjet account was“blacked out” without prior warning or explanation.

The controversy surrounding Sweeney's accounts gained traction after he departed from X in 2022, following Elon Musk's takeover of the platform. Musk has described such tracking as a potential physical safety hazard, leading X to revise its privacy policies to prohibit the disclosure of individuals' real-time locations.

Sweeney's jet-tracking accounts not only forecast emissions from celebrity flights but also provide real-time information about their travel patterns. In addition to tracking Musk and Swift, Sweeney has monitored several prominent figures, including Mark Cuban and even Alexander Abramov.

Also Read | Musk's $1 million poll giveaway raises concerns over election law boundaries

Sweeney highlighted the troubling lack of communication from Meta , stating,“I've received no warnings, no explanation.” He emphasized that this situation casts a negative light on the company's practices.

Sweeney, known for tracking celebrity private jets, reported that he has faced a total of 38 account suspensions across various platforms, including X (formerly Twitter). He described the actions of these platforms as lacking transparency and appearing arbitrary in nature.

Also Read | Meta AI on WhatsApp may soon serve as your personal assistant: Here's how

Sweeney noted that Elon Musk, who previously criticized Twitter for restricting free speech, has adopted similar tactics by shadow-banning accounts that track his jet and blocking links to publicly available information about his flights.

Sweeney highlighted concerns over selective enforcement, particularly in relation to Meta 's partnership with Taylor Swift , which may have influenced the suspension of accounts related to her. He noted that while his account tracking Swift's jets was suspended, other unrelated jet-tracking accounts remained active, raising questions about fairness.

Also Read | Taylor Swift takes legal action against college student over jet tracking

“I had been dedicating more time to building my presence on Threads,” Sweeney said.“Something clearly triggered this wave of suspensions, but as of now, I'm left without answers.”

MENAFN22102024007365015876ID1108808336