Twitter updates private information policy over account tracking Elon Musk's jet

Twitter announced an update to its private information policy on Wednesday to prohibit sharing someone else’s live location. The update came just an hour after the social media platform suspended an account that tracked the movements of Elon Musk’s private jet, as per a Bloomberg report.

Started in 2020, the Twitter account uses publicly available data to automatically post the Gulfstream jet’s flights with a map and an estimate of the amount of jet fuel and carbon emissions.

The microblogging outlet said moving forward it will remove tweets that share this information. Accounts dedicated to sharing someone else’s live location will be suspended.

"When someone shares an individual’s live location on Twitter, there is an increased risk of physical harm," the tweet read.

The social media company added that users can still share their own live location. "Tweets that share someone else’s historical (not same-day) location information are also not prohibited by this policy," the new policy said.

According to Bloomberg, first-time offenders will be temporarily locked out of their accounts. Another offence will cause a user’s account to be permanently suspended.

Another tweet by the company clarified that content that shares location information related to a public engagement or event, such as a concert or political event, is permitted.