Student who was banned from Twitter for tracking Elon Musk’s jet returns with ‘search banned’ account
The college student who found himself banned from Twitter for tracking CEO Elon Musk is now back with a new account - but it's not easy to find.
Sweeney was probably playing with fire when he used Twitter itself to report on the movements of Musk's private jet, relaying information about the route taken, how much money would have been spent on fuel, and the carbon emissions produced, for his more than half a million followers.
He made the account in 2020, but earlier this month he claimed it had been 'shadowbanned', which results in significantly reducing access to an account. It was then suspended, and Musk threatened to sue Sweeney over his actions.
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On 15 December, Musk tweeted: "Any account doxxing real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation. This includes posting links to sites with real-time location info.
"Posting locations someone traveled to on a slightly delayed basis isn't a safety problem, so is ok."
Twitter has also updated its rules to restrict live-tracking, saying the update was intended to 'prohibit sharing someone else's live location in most cases'.
The site's new rules explained that 'sharing publicly available location information after a reasonable time has elapsed, so that the individual is no longer at risk for physical harm' is not a violation.
In order to adhere to Musk's rules, Sweeney has now created a new account under the handle @ElonJetNextDay and the name 'ElonJet but Delayed'.
Instead of relaying the details of Musk's flights immediately, he will now share the information 24 hours later.
However, those looking to keep an eye on Musk's movements won't find it as easy as last time as Sweeney claimed his account has been 'search banned', meaning it's hidden on Twitter as sensitive content and can only be found by users who adjust their search settings on Twitter.
Speaking to the New York Post, Sweeney explained: "The 24-hour delay is allowed on Twitter."
After creating the account, Sweeney shared information telling followers Musk’s private jet had landed in Oakland, California following a three-hour, 20-minute flight from Austin, Texas, where Musk has his Tesla headquarters.
Though the live tracking has been banned from Twitter, Sweeney continues to post live updates on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and Mastodon.
As well as tracking Musk, the college student has accounts tracking other famous faces including Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos.
Topics: Twitter, Elon Musk, Technology
Emily Brown