Report Finds that SpaceX Basically Let @ElonJet Track Musk

Documents obtained by Vice through a Freedom of Information Act request reveal that SpaceX entered CEO Elon Musk’s private jet into a federal privacy program but failed to follow through with the necessary privacy measures. 

“Musk seemingly learned about this mistake—which allowed people to continue tracking the movements of his jet—in the midst of a December 2022 meltdown in which he banned the @ElonJet Twitter account tracking his jet, banned journalists on Twitter who linked to the account, and led a witchhunt against an alleged stalker on the social media platform,” Vice’s Jason Koebler wrote.

The program in question is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Privacy ICAO Aircraft Address program (PIA), which allows private jet owners to generate a temporary aircraft registration number that is only known to the owner and the US government, effectively shielding private jet owners from being tracked by hobbyist flight trackers or the general public.

The emails Vice obtained show that SpaceX enrolled Musk’s private jet in the program sometime before August of last year, but was not able to verify the temporary tail number, thus allowing the plane to still be tracked under its permanent, and publicly available tail number. 

The emails between SpeceX and FAA coincided with Musk’s controversial actions in December 2022. During that time, he banned the @ElonJet Twitter account, which provided open-source flight information, and imposed new rules on Twitter to prevent users from sharing real-time location information. 

He also banned several journalists criticizing him or sharing links related to the ElonJet account. Musk further engaged in a public campaign against an alleged stalker, requesting his Twitter followers’ assistance identifying the individual.


Information for this story was found via Twitter, Vice, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.

Video Articles

Goliath Resources Hits 10.60 g/t Gold Over 22.82 Metres, Highest Grade Results In Third Distinct Rock Package At Surebet Discovery

Four Countries Control the Fertilizer That Feeds the World | Sage Potash

$10,000 Gold Is Just A Question of Time | Florian Grummes

Recommended

ESGold Outlines $24.3 Million NPV For Tailings Reprocessing Project

First Majestic Encounters 711 g/t Silver Equivalent Over 8.0 Metres In Ongoing Exploration At Los Gatos

Related News

Elizabeth Warren Calls for SEC Investigation into Tesla and Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling on the SEC to probe into possible violations of...

Monday, July 17, 2023, 04:33:00 PM

What’s New? Higher-Volume Tesla Semi Production Pushed Back To End Of 2024

Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk announced that the company’s new electric semi truck will...

Thursday, June 15, 2023, 06:15:00 AM

Elon Musk Drops Margin Loan Commitments, Looks To Finance Twitter Acquisition With Equity Financing

Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has finally dropped his plans to partly finance his...

Thursday, May 26, 2022, 10:03:00 AM

‘The Boy Who Cried Cybertruck’: Tesla To Mass Produce Cybertruck By End Of 2023… For Real?

After being delayed for almost four years since it was launched, Tesla’s (Nasdaq: TSLA) Cybertruck...

Tuesday, November 1, 2022, 03:52:00 PM

The Hate Triangle: Elon Musk’s Twitter, FTC Chair Linda Khan, And The House Republicans

Twitter is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), with...

Sunday, July 16, 2023, 01:28:00 PM