'He Can Continue To Do What The Last People Did At Twitter' And Bend Rules, @ElonJet Creator Says Of Elon Musk

Zinger Key Points
  • A Twitter account that tracks Elon Musk's private plane was suspended Wednesday.
  • The 20-year-old creator of the account speaks with CNN about the suspension.

A Twitter account that tracked the whereabouts of a private plane owned by Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk has been suspended from the social media platform.

Here’s what the account’s creator had to say about the suspension and Musk.

What Happened: On Wednesday, the Twitter account for @elonjet was suspended along with the personal account of Jack Sweeney, who created the account. The suspensions came a month after Musk tweeted his support for free speech, including keeping the Twitter account that tracks his plane active.

“I was a fan of Elon, he does some pretty cool stuff with SpaceX and Twitter,” Sweeney said in an interview with CNN.

Sweeney said he used public information including the latitude and longitude on flights to determine where the plane was. Sweeney said this information could be used to show where Musk was going and could give clues on what companies he was interested in buying or partnering with.

Musk wasn’t happy with the tracker and initially offered $5,000 to Sweeney to shut down the account. Sweeney said no and countered with an ask of $50,000 and a Tesla vehicle.

“I didn’t really feel like taking it down because it meant a lot to me,” Sweeney said.

When asked about the Nov. 7 tweet from Musk about free speech, Sweeney told CNN that the Tesla and Twitter CEO is now doing the “complete opposite of what he said.”

“It just shows that he can continue to do what the last people did at Twitter and they can bend the rules and however, whichever way for whoever they want.”

Musk recently completed the acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion, giving him the ability to ban and unban accounts as he sees fit.

Sweeney said he would take a job with Musk if offered.

Related Link: Elon Musk's Jet Tracker Promises To Follow New Rules As He Asks All Twitter Accounts Be Restored 

What’s Next: Musk originally told Sweeney the account was a security risk, something that was amplified on Wednesday.

Musk claimed that a stalker climbed onto a vehicle in Los Angeles that had his son X inside. The Tesla CEO said he is considering legal action against Sweeney and all people who are trying to harm his family.

Sweeney said he did not mean harm to Musk or his family.

“I never meant for any intent of like, any harm or anything,” Sweeney told The Daily Beast. “And I don’t think there’s that much of a risk of posting data that’s already there.”

Musk tweeted Twitter would no longer allow “doxxing real-time location” of anyone on the platform.

The media policy for Twitter was changed on Wednesday.

Sweeney told The Daily Beast he has not received a legal notice from Musk as of Wednesday night.

“We’ll see if he’s actually doing anything.”

Read Next: Here's How Much Tesla Stock Elon Musk Owns After Latest Sale

 

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