Parsing this information is like a logic puzzle: Sweeney’s bots can use a plane’s altitude, combined with how long ago the data was received, to determine when it is taking off or landing. In these cases, Sweeney uses data from the ADS-B transponders present on most aircraft which show a plane’s location in the air in real time as charted on the ADS-B Exchange. However, Musk’s plane and many others are on the LADD block list, which removes identifying information from the data.Įven blocked planes aren't truly private, though. The 15 bots use FAA information when available - the administration keeps track of when and where planes depart and land, as well as their intended path. They’ve just gone on parsing the data Sweeney’s told them to. (Protocol contacted SpaceX’s media team to ask whether there had been any violent incidents or threats - one of the only remaining ways for the press to contact Musk after he dissolved Tesla’s PR team last year - but got no response.)īut Twitter bots don’t get starstruck. And Musk and other tech CEOs have become bona fide celebrities in recent years. Celebrities getting ambushed at airports - by fans, by people who want to sell their autograph, paparazzi, stalkers and the like - is certainly a thing. Though the Twitter accounts haven’t led to any dangerous incidents so far, at least according to Sweeney’s knowledge and information available online, Musk does have a point. Better yet, the self-described Elon Musk “fan” got to have a conversation with a man he’s looked up to for years. He’s benefited a lot from and the other accounts, he said: He's gained social media followers, learned how to code and even scored a part time job at UberJets as an application developer. Sweeney says he’s okay with getting ghosted. But so far, he hasn’t paid Sweeney a dime, and the account is still running. “Any chance to up that to $50k? It would be great support in college and would possibly allow me to get a car maybe even a Model 3.” Then Elon Musk made his own offer: $5,000 to delete the account and help the billionaire keep “crazy people” from tracking his location. Musk asked Sweeney how much he made off the Twitter accounts, which Sweeney said was no more than $20 a month. The conversation continued for a few more messages.
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