How Elon Musk and Donald Trump dodge jet-trackers on Twitter by flying incognito – but does it work? LVMH boss Bernard Arnault and Apple CEO Tim Cook prefer to rent planes instead

Nov 5 , 2022

Elon Musk and a G650ER in the air. Photos: AFP; Luxurylaunches

Jack Sweeney is a computer science student who uses ADS-B technology to legally track the private jets of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg

Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner spark criticism for their excessive jet usage, while Travis Scott and Drake use incognito tools – but it’s not always guaranteed

American programmer Jack Sweeney has created a myriad of Twitter accounts that track private jets, like Elon Musk’s. To dodge Sweeney and other trackers, many celebrities have signed up for free federal programmes that help them fly incognito.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Photo: AP

The programmes are not foolproof, and some high-profile people have ditched private jet ownership altogether. Celebrities like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are struggling to shake Twitter accounts that follow their private jets’ every move.

So, how does it work exactly?

Jet-tracking wunderkind Jack Sweeney

Jack Sweeney publicly tracks Elon Musk’s Gulfstream 650ER. Photo: @JxckSweeney/Twitter

Sweeney helped ignite the trend in early 2022 when he made headlines for publicly tracking Elon Musk’s Gulfstream 650ER.

The 20-year-old uses a public website called ADS-B Exchange, which was founded in 2016 by IT professional Dan Streufert, to track the tail number, and a bot automatically uploads the flights to @ElonJet on Twitter.

Floyd Mayweather’s jet landed in Las Vegas, with an approximate flight time of 42 minutes. Photo: @CelebJets/Twitter

The website aggregates flight information with the help of over 7,500 volunteer-run radios around the world that receive information from ADS-B-equipped aircraft, Streufert told the Airplane Geeks podcast.