Is a public account, using public data, that tracks a celebrity jets (Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, Bill Gates etc) “stalking”, providing a "public service”, or is a benign ”curiosity”?

Chris Alemany🇺🇦🇨🇦🇪🇸

@katrinakatrinka @ClintonAnderson yup. Same in Canada

Je ne suis pas goth

@chris I voted "public service," although it is moreso depending on the people "targeted:" first, private jets are an ecological aberration, which should be banned except in case of extreme urgency, for statesmen, and even then, most of the time it's not necessary. It's a way of naming & shaming those who abuse this mode of transportation.

Second, for personalities who voice their opinions very vocally, about a lot of things, e.g., Musk, it's a way to display their hypocrisy, groundlessness etc

Samuel Proulx

@chris It kind of depends on who’s doing the tracking and who’s being tracked. A dude tracking Taylor swifts jet is a creep. An organization tracking bill gates to make a point about climate change is not. As with all types of communication, context matters.

John Socks

@chris given all applicable laws and regulations, I don't think anyone could object to a blog, which had an RSS output, with the same information.

The drama, such as it is, is what responsibility social networks have to host the same.

I think the RSS is sufficient for the interested.

AI6YR Ben

@chris This is public info...

Chris Alemany🇺🇦🇨🇦🇪🇸

@fastfinge for sure. Though (as devil's advocate) are either of those scenarios dependant on bots repeating the information?

Samuel Proulx

@chris Does it matter? Anyone could look up the info, but the entity creating a bot to post it to social media is communicating a message just by that act of creation. I’m okay with “Bill Gates is a hypocrite!” But less okay with “hey, here’s where Taylor Swift is, just in case you want to go abuse her.”

Chris Alemany🇺🇦🇨🇦🇪🇸

@fastfinge certainly. The question I guess is if the bot owner/creator is saying that. Or if someone using the information is saying that.

Samuel Proulx

@chris Well, the bot owner obviously made the bot for some purpose. Otherwise they’d just go look it up on a flight tracker app if it was just personal curiosity.

Chris Alemany🇺🇦🇨🇦🇪🇸

@fastfinge indeed.

Samuel Proulx

@chris Personally I’m okay with threads banning it. They’re too big to effectively moderate contextually. This points to why the small instance mastodon model is a good one. Instances each get to decide how they feel about any given account.

Chris Alemany🇺🇦🇨🇦🇪🇸

@fastfinge good point!

Mother Bones

@chris I want multi-selection option!

Evelyn, Bluer than Blue

@chris For people who have made themselves celebrities (like those mentioned above), it’s a benign curiously. If they wanted privacy, they could fly commercial, use a charter service, or operate their jet through some sort of holding company/legal entity* not bearing their name.

*I am very much not a lawyer

Chris Alemany🇺🇦🇨🇦🇪🇸

@Gorfram this is a very good point

Mark

@mikemccaffrey @bamboombibbitybop @chris Provided the one you already own is a bicycle or a pair of walking shoes

Mark

@chris It would. I don’t have the energy or the data to run those numbers.

The principle is paramount. The massive musk & spaysex carbon footprint is a result of unprincipled leadership.

Jonathan Gerhardson

@chris Voted stalking because it wasn't getting much love but don't think it should be criminalized as much as I think it's unfair to make Taylor Swift more responsible for GHG emissions than a less famous private jet owner.

Chris Alemany🇺🇦🇨🇦🇪🇸

@highvizghilliesuit a pretty balanced take!

Mike McCaffrey

@MarkBrigham @bamboombibbitybop @chris No, you need to drive a gas car an awfully long way in order to use as much energy and produce as much carbon as it takes to build an electric car from scratch.