Meta shuts down Jack Sweeney’s private jet tracking accounts

Oct 22

Karah Rucker Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Reporter), Alex Delia (Producer), Jack Henry (Video Editor)

Meta has banned several Instagram and Threads accounts that tracked the private jet movements of high-profile individuals, citing privacy concerns and risks of physical harm. The accounts, run by college student Jack Sweeney, monitored the flights of figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Taylor Swift.

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Sweeney’s work has drawn legal attention in the past from Elon Musk and other celebrities.

Meta, Microsoft and other tech companies are forming a team to combat deceptive AI content during the European Parliament elections in June. — Reuters

Tracking private jets became more challenging for Sweeney after the Biden administration passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which allows private aircraft owners to anonymize their registration data. Despite this, Sweeney has continued using alternative methods to track flights, relying on public tips and research.

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Meta’s move comes amidst a broader debate about the balance between privacy and public transparency.

Sweeney claims his accounts do not violate any platform rules and maintains that all the data he shares is publicly accessible. However, he has yet to receive a clear explanation from Meta about the ban.

Tags: Elon Musk, Federal Aviation Administration, Joe Biden, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Social Media, Taylor Swift

[Karah Rucker]

META BANNED SEVERAL INSTAGRAM AND THREADS ACCOUNTS THAT TRACK THE PRIVATE JET MOVEMENTS OF CELEBRITIES LIKE MARK ZUCKERBERG, TAYLOR SWIFT, AND BILL GATES.

THE MOVE COMES AMID RISING CONCERNS ABOUT PERSONAL PRIVACY AND POTENTIAL PHYSICAL RISKS. THE ACCOUNTS, ALL RUN BY COLLEGE STUDENT AND AVIATION SOFTWARE ENTHUSIAST JACK SWEENEY, HAVE LONG BEEN CONTROVERSIAL… EVEN DRAWING LEGAL ATTENTION AND NOTORIETY FROM ELON MUSK AND TAYLOR SWIFT’S TEAMS IN THE PAST.

THROUGHOUT THE SCRUTINY, SWEENEY ALWAYS MAINTAINED HE WAS PRESENTING READILY AVAILABLE PUBLIC DATA, AND SAID NOTHING HE WAS DOING PRESENTED ANY REAL WORLD THREAT.

SWEENEY’S TRACKING ACTIVITIES FACED INCREASED DIFFICULTY FOLLOWING NEW FEDERAL REGULATIONS. EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SIGNED THE FAA REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2024… ALLOWING AIRCRAFT OWNERS TO MASK THEIR REGISTRATION DATA. DESPITE THIS, HE CONTINUES TO FIND WAYS TO MONITOR PRIVATE FLIGHTS, USING TIPS AND RESEARCH TO BYPASS LIMITATIONS.

SWEENEY MAINTAINS THAT HIS ACCOUNTS DO NOT VIOLATE ANY RULES OF EITHER PLATFORM… AND HE HAS NOT BEEN GIVEN AN EXPLANATION FROM META.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M KARAH RUCKER.