### Meta Bans Accounts Tracking Private Jets of High-Profile Individuals

Meta has recently taken a significant step in privacy protection by banning accounts that tracked the movements of private jets belonging to high-profile figures, including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and former President Donald Trump. These accounts, managed by Florida college student Jack Sweeney, were removed from Threads and Instagram, and the corresponding Facebook accounts are slated for deletion soon, according to Meta's communications director, Andy Stone.

The banned accounts also tracked the flights of celebrities and influential individuals such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates. Some of these accounts continue to exist on other social media platforms like Bluesky. In a conversation with NBC News, Sweeney defended his flight tracking project, citing its journalistic value and the awareness it brings to the environmental impact of jet travel.

Stone explained that Meta's decision was guided by concerns over the "risk of physical harm to individuals," referencing a 2022 recommendation from the company's independent Oversight Board, which advised removing references to individuals' residences. Although the recommendation did not specifically mention private flights, Meta interpreted it to broadly cover personally identifiable information.

This move is part of Meta's broader strategy of stricter content moderation on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Earlier this year, Meta announced it would cease recommending accounts that post political content, a category encompassing government and election-related posts.

Elon Musk has also previously taken action against similar jet-tracking accounts. Shortly after acquiring Twitter (now X) in 2022, Musk banned accounts that tracked his jet as well as those of Zuckerberg and Bezos, viewing them as a violation of the platform's rules against doxxing. Musk threatened but did not pursue legal action against Sweeney, who subsequently created accounts posting jet movements with a day-long delay on Twitter.

Although Sweeney has been willing to adapt to some platforms' guidelines, he expressed reluctance to employ similar delayed posts on Meta's platforms, accusing the company of lacking transparency. Stone declined to comment on whether delayed posts would be subject to the same policy, stating that decisions would be "based on safety considerations."

Sweeney has faced other pressures as well, including threats from lawyers representing music star Taylor Swift. Earlier in the year, Meta took down the accounts tracking Swift's jet. Despite these challenges, jet location information remains accessible through various means, including data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration and other jet-tracking services that intercept signal outputs specific to each aircraft.