Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has taken action to eliminate multiple accounts on Threads and Instagram that were dedicated to monitoring the private flights of various celebrities. This includes the aircraft owned by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The company cited a threat of “physical harm” as the reason for this decision.
The affected accounts utilized publicly accessible information to track the locations and carbon emissions of the jets. These accounts were removed without prior notice this week, coinciding with an update to Meta’s privacy policy. Among those tracked were jets belonging to high-profile figures such as Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk.
In justifying its actions, Meta referenced advice from its Oversight Board, an external group responsible for reviewing controversial content and company policies. This guidance, which dates back to early 2022, recommended the removal of “private residential information” from Meta’s platforms, even if that information is readily available to the public.
“In light of the potential for physical harm to individuals and in alignment with the independent Oversight Board’s recommendation, we have deactivated these accounts due to violations of our privacy policy,” a spokesperson for the company stated.
Among those impacted was Jack Sweeney, a college student from Florida who has gained attention for tracking celebrity flights. Sweeney expressed frustration on his Threads account, revealing that he had not received any notice from Meta before the bans were enacted. “These platforms operate without transparency, and it feels like they make arbitrary decisions,” he noted.
This is not the first instance where Sweeney has faced challenges from tech companies and billionaires regarding his tracking activities. Elon Musk has previously expressed concerns over Sweeney’s monitoring of his private jet, describing the shared information as his “assassination coordinates.”
After acquiring X late in 2022, Musk promptly banned Sweeney’s account and implemented a new policy prohibiting the real-time sharing of individuals’ locations. Although Sweeney continues to track Musk’s jet on X, he now shares location updates with a 24-hour delay.
Earlier in the year, attorneys for pop star Taylor Swift requested that Sweeney cease tracking her private aircraft. Following this request, Meta removed Sweeney’s accounts associated with Swift’s plane while leaving his other accounts active.
Sweeney has reported that he has had 38 separate accounts banned across Meta and X, formerly known as Twitter.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
