ElonJet Doxxing Controversy

Overview

ElonJet Doxxing Controversy refers to a controversial series of events regarding Elon Musk and a Twitter account named @ElonJet that tracked the movements of Musk's private jet. After Musk banned the account citing security concerns amidst a purported stalking event involving his child in November 2022, numerous internet users and journalists reacted to his decision to ban ElonJet, particularly revolving around his stance on free speech on Twitter. In mid-December, Musk then briefly attended a Twitter Spaces conversation between several journalists before removing the feature from the app, citing a "legacy bug." On December 15th, several journalists were then reportedly suspended from Twitter for covering the ElonJet ban, leading to widespread backlash. Tracking the movement of celebrity private jets has been a topic of discussion and memes since 2020, with Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner being prominent examples.

Background

Twitter account @ElonJet, run by Florida college student Jack Sweeney, originally began operating in June 2020 and tracked the location of Elon Musk's private jet.^[1] In November 2021, Elon Musk then reportedly offered $5,000 to Sweeney to delete the account, which was countered by an ask for $50,000 (seen below, left and right).^[16] In January 2022, Musk retracted his offer, saying that paying to shut down an account did not "feel right." Sweeney also offered Musk advice on how to block information from his jet's transponder.^[2] Musk blocked Sweeney sometime after January.

Elon Musk then purchased Twitter in October 2022. On November 7th, Musk tweeted that he would not ban ElonJet despite considering it a "direct personal safety risk" because he is an advocate for free speech (seen below, left). The tweet gathered over 390,000 likes in over a month.^[3] On December 10th, Sweeney noted on his personal Twitter that @ElonJet had purportedly been shadowbanned (seen below, right).^[4] He also noted that the account was no longer restricted after Twitter's Trust and Safety team was disbanded on December 12th, 2022.^[5] By December 2022, the account had gathered over 500,000 followers in three years.

ElonJet Banned

On December 14th, 2022, Twitter temporarily suspended @ElonJet after releasing new rules outlining limitations on sharing real-time location information due to personal safety concerns. The official Twitter Safety account tweeted about the new rules, gathering over 14,000 likes on the initial tweet in the thread.^[6] @ElonJet was briefly reinstated on the 14th before its operator, Jack Sweeney's personal account, and various other accounts tracking the movements of public figures and Russian oligarchs (including @PutinJet) were banned later on later that day.^[7]

Also on December 14th, Elon Musk took to his Twitter to outline an alleged stalking incident involving his son "lil X" and announced that he would be taking legal action against Jack Sweeney for placing his family in danger.^[8] Musk shared a video of the alleged stalker (seen below) asking if anyone recognized him. The first tweet in the thread gathered over 300,000 likes in two days.

Anyone recognize this person or car? pic.twitter.com/2U0Eyx7iwl

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 15, 2022

Developments

Additional Accounts Banned

On December 15th, 2022, the Twitter account for the social media network Mastodon was banned soon after it tweeted a link to the ElonJet Mastodon account where Sweeney had moved following his Twitter ban.^[9] Various journalists covering the tech industry also stated their accounts had been banned after reporting on the issue and tweeting a link to the ElonJet page on Mastodon, purportedly due to an apparent violation of the aforementioned new Twitter policies.^[10]

On December 15th, Twitter user @LevineJonathan^[11] posted a tweet regarding the ban of various journalists, gathering over 9,000 likes in a day (seen below, left). Also on the 15th, Musk tweeted that the accounts were banned for releasing what he dubbed "assassination coordinates," gathering over 65,000 likes in a day (seen below, right).^[12]

Later on December 15th, 2022, Twitter user @ForeverEversley then posted a screen recording of Elon Musk joining a Twitter Spaces conversation regarding @ElonJet and the various bans on journalists, and leaving soon after insisting that "doxxing" was not allowed. The Space hosted accounts that were able to join the conversation despite their accounts being banned, including @MattWalsh and @ElonJet. ForeverEversley's tweet proceeded to gather over 65,000 likes in a day (seen below).^[13]

Holy Shit. Elon Musk just popped into a Twitter Spaces chat with a bunch of journalists. He was called out by journalist Drew Harrell, who he banned, for lying about posting links to his private information, then leaves almost immediately after being pressed. Here is the exchange pic.twitter.com/wVA9Gb5MVJ

— Bradley Eversley (@ForeverEversley) December 16, 2022

Various Twitter accounts noted that the Twitter Spaces feature was entirely shut down soon after the aforementioned incident. On December 16th, Twitter user @halomancer1 posted a tweet about no longer being able to access Twitter Spaces, gathering over 10,000 likes in a day (seen below, left).^[14] Also on the 16th, Musk replied to a tweet inquiring about Twitter Spaces by saying that it would be down for a day until a "legacy bug" is fixed, gathering over 13,000 likes in a day (seen below, right).

Also on December 15th, Twitter user @EliotHiggins posted a tweet claiming they discovered purported evidence that Musk's stalking incident did not occur near an airport and was not a consequence of @ElonJet's reports. Though speculation, the tweet proceeded to gather over 23,000 likes in a day (seen below).^[15]

Bellingcat Discord member Sepulco geolocated the video Elon Musk posted overnight, claiming to show a stalker, which he used to justify the banning of accounts that tracked flights. It's at 34.116175,-118.160635, not close to any airports.https://t.co/H4ibUozDKV pic.twitter.com/lNvvOKmvC4

— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) December 15, 2022

Related Entries

Elon Musk's Assassination Coordinates

Elon Musk's Assassination Coordinates refers to a controversial tweet sent by Twitter CEO Elon Musk in December 2022 that gave his reasoning for suspending two accounts (@ElonJet and @CelebJets) that tracked and publicly documented the flight paths of his private jet. Musk's defense was that the account was violating Twitter's terms of service by doxxing his real-time location which he dubbed his "assassination coordinates." The tweet led to controversy and memes with many labeling Musk as paranoid or as a hypocrite based on his push for "free speech" on Twitter following his acquisition of the company in October 2022.

Taylor Swift's Private Jet vs. The Environment

Taylor Swift's Private Jet vs. The Environment refers to a controversy and leak of information that American singer Taylor Swift allegedly produces more carbon emissions than any other celebrity in 2022, amassing to roughly 8,200 tonnes. This is mostly due to purportedly unnecessary plane rides Swift takes in her private jet. After the information surfaced in an op-ed article and then on Twitter, Swift was labeled as a hypocrite given her "climate change awareness" public persona. The discovery led to memes, similar to memetic discourse regarding Kyle Jenner's Three-Minute Flights. It was also met with skepticism by people who thought the data was unfounded.

Kylie Jenner's Three-Minute Flights

Kylie Jenner's Three-Minute Flights refers to a controversy involving Kylie Jenner and evidence of her taking unnecessarily short flights with her private jet. After screenshots of her flight paths were posted by the Twitter account @CelebJets, users labeled her a "climate criminal" in regards to climate change. The flights were purportedly as short as three minutes long while most were roughly 12 minutes long, being only 45 minutes by car.

Search Interest

External References