Teen who tracks Elon Musk’s jet creates backup accounts on other platforms

The 19-year-old fears his Twitter account could be struck down now that Musk owns the platform.
Ameya Paleja
Alamy

Jack Sweeney, the 19-year-old who shot to fame by tracking Elon Musk's private jet and sharing the details on Twitter, has begun preparations for his ouster from the social media platform, Business Insider reported

He tweeted via Elonjet, the account that shares location details of Elon Musk's private jet, and revealed that his accounts are ready on Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and other platforms. 

Public knowledge or security risk?

The account garnered media attention after Musk offered him $5,000 to stop tweeting about the location of his private jet, calling it a "security risk". Sweeney, however, countered Musk's offer with a bigger ask of $50,000. 

As per Twitter policies, the account cannot be held liable for sharing private information since the details of Musk's jet are already in the public domain. However, Elonjet is teasing out the details from the large swath of information about aircraft called ADS-B, which makes them visible to air-traffic controls and other aircraft.  

However, once Twitter ceases to be a public company and turns into Elon Musk's fiefdom, policies can be changed, and that's what Sweeney fears. 

Elon Musk's free speech test

Musk is a popular figure on Twitter, and the Elonjet account has garnered over 428,000 followers. In contrast, the Instagram page has just over 9,000 followers, the Facebook page has 970, and the new Telegram channel has managed a little over 1,100 followers. To avoid losing the bulk of his followers, Sweeney approached Musk again recently to "figure something out", Business Insider reported.

A couple of months ago, Sweeney was offered a Tesla by a car-subscription company for a period of three years, which he refused. He has maintained that he wants a car for good, no takebacks or $50,000. 

While Musk isn't willing to negotiate with a teenager, his recent move to acquire Twitter and declare himself a 'free-speech absolutist' has put him on the spot. The world will watch his next move closely, but Sweeney is expecting the "Elonjet" account to be removed soon.

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