Meta Suspends Accounts Tracking Private Jets of Musk, Zuckerberg, and Other Celebrities

Meta has suspended several Instagram and Threads accounts that tracked the private jet movements of high-profile figures, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, and Kylie Jenner.

The accounts, run by Jack Sweeney, a college student from Florida, were removed for violating Meta’s privacy policies, according to the company.

Meta defended its decision, stating that the accounts posed a “risk of physical harm” to the individuals being tracked.

“Given the risk of physical harm to individuals, and in keeping with the independent Oversight Board’s recommendation, we’ve disabled these accounts for violating our privacy policy,” A Meta spokesperson explained.

Meta emphasized that the action aligns with its commitment to user safety and privacy protection.

Sweeney, who gained attention when Musk suspended his jet-tracking account on X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, expressed frustration with Meta’s decision. In a statement, he compared the situation to his earlier dispute with Musk, when @ElonJet account was banned.

“Today feels like December 15th, 2022,” Sweeney said.

While US legislation now allows private aircraft owners to anonymize their registration information, Sweeney insists that tracking such flights remains possible through publicly available data from sources like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Despite this, several Threads accounts sharing private jet information were suspended, including those following the jets of Zuckerberg, Bezos, and others. Notably, two accounts tracking the jets of former US President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis remain active.

Although the flight data shared by Sweeney is publicly available, some celebrities have voiced concerns about privacy violations. Musk previously referred to the accounts as “assassination coordinates,” while singer Taylor Swift, another target of the tracking accounts, called them “stalking and harassing behavior.” Despite their objections, neither Musk nor Swift has pursued legal action against Sweeney.

Sweeney stated that he has not been given any explanation or chance to appeal the suspensions from Meta, describing his account status as “just black” when he attempts to log in. Meta has not provided additional comments on the matter.

Fortune and News Bytes contributed to this report.