This week has seen a significant increase in Meta’s Threads registrations, exceeding 70 million within approximately 40 hours of the app’s launch. Among the flurry of new accounts was one user, notorious for their fixation on Elon Musk, who has been posting what Musk has previously labeled as “virtually assassination coordinates.”
Yet, the @elonmusksjet account has been temporarily disabled on both Instagram and Threads, according to Jack Sweeney, the account’s creator. Sweeney uses accessible flight data to post the location of Musk’s private jet in almost real-time. Sweeney expressed on Twitter that Meta was previously aware of the account’s presence on Instagram (since Threads accounts are currently connected to Instagram) and is optimistic that the suspension is an inadvertent error by Meta. BuyTechBlog has reached out to Meta for more information.
Earlier on Friday, Meta’s moderation team seemed to have flagged the account. According to BuyTechBlog’s former member Saqib Shah, Meta erroneously removed the account from Threads. The company briefly reactivated @elonmusksjet, only to suspend it again later.
Previously, Sweeney used to disseminate the jet’s flight details via Twitter as @elonjet, a practice which annoyed Musk before his acquisition of the platform. Musk once proposed $5,000 to Sweeney to shut down the account, which was declined. A subsequent counteroffer of $50,000 or an internship at one of Musk’s companies never materialized.
After Musk acquired Twitter in December, the platform eventually banned the ElonJet account permanently. Twitter revamped its privacy rules to prevent users from sharing “publicly accessible location information until a reasonable period has elapsed, reducing the risk of potential harm to the individual.”
In response, Sweeney established a new Twitter account presenting the location of Musk’s jet with a 24-hour delay, aligning with the revised policy. ElonJet accounts on other platforms, such as Facebook, Telegram, Mastodon, and Bluesky, continue to provide more current data, and a subreddit dedicated to tracking the plane is active.
While ElonJet was never completely off the radar, its appearance on Threads was notably ironic. The new app is a direct competitor to Twitter to the point that Twitter has threatened Meta with a lawsuit for allegedly using ex-employees and proprietary information to develop Threads.
Update 7/7 3:51PM ET: Meta has put @elonmusksjet on hold on both Instagram and Threads.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Meta Suspension
What is the account that Meta suspended on Instagram and Threads?
The suspended account is @elonmusksjet, which was used to track and share the whereabouts of Elon Musk’s private jet using publicly available flight data.
Who is the creator of the @elonmusksjet account?
The creator of the @elonmusksjet account is Jack Sweeney.
What was Elon Musk’s reaction to the @elonmusksjet account?
Elon Musk had expressed concern over the account, once referring to the tracking data shared as “basically assassination coordinates”. He even offered the account creator, Jack Sweeney, $5,000 to delete the account.
Did Twitter take any action against the account that tracked Musk’s jet?
Yes, Twitter, under Elon Musk’s ownership, permanently suspended the account @elonjet that also tracked Musk’s private jet. Twitter’s privacy rules were updated to limit users from sharing location information until a reasonable time had passed.
What are some other platforms where Elon Musk’s jet is tracked?
The location of Musk’s jet, albeit with a 24-hour delay, is tracked on a new Twitter account created by Sweeney. Other platforms providing more current tracking include Facebook, Telegram, Mastodon, and Bluesky. There’s also a dedicated subreddit for this purpose.
More about Meta Suspension
- Meta’s Threads platform
- Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter
- Twitter’s updated privacy rules
- ElonJet on Facebook
- ElonJet on Telegram
- ElonJet on Mastodon
- ElonJet on Bluesky
- Subreddit tracking Elon Musk’s jet
7 comments
Is the new twitter account still active? I mean, with the 24-hour delay? still want to know where that jet’s off to.
Where’s privacy when you need it? Can’t even enjoy a private jet flight in peace, poor Elon.
Meta suspending accounts now huh… slippery slope if you ask me.
About time they suspended the account. It’s creepy to track someone’s movements that closely, no matter who they are.
can’t believe meta’s gone after elon’s jet tracker. Ain’t it public data anyway? C’mon man…
Seriously?? They suspended the account? wth. That thing was cool, real-time updates and all.
Lol, anyone else remember when Musk tried to buy the account for $5K. That’s chump change for him!