Elon Musk’s Commitment to “Free Speech” No Longer Extends to Twitter Account Tracking His Private Plane
Vanity FairDec 15, 2022
The Facts
The Twitter account @Elonjet, which was dedicated to tracking Elon Musk’s private jet, was suspended from the platform on Wednesday.
The account was run by college student Jack Sweeney who operates over 30 accounts tracking the private jets of figures including Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg, and celebrities. Those accounts were also reportedly disabled hours after @Elonjet.
The Spin
Left narrative
Elon Musk is already going back on his commitment to stand for "free speech" and is arbitrarily changing Twitter rules in a clear display of hypocrisy. The billionaire is now threatening legal action against a 20-year-old college student for posting publicly available information. "Free speech" only applies when it benefits the tech mogul.
Right narrative
Social media platforms prohibiting accounts to post personal information and live locations of others is not banning "free speech." Twitter's new policies and Musk's statements convey that this was a safety and terms of service violation. Besides, right before his account was disabled, Sweeney promoted his flight trackers on other platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Mastadon, so his "speech" is far from banned.
