Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed on Monday that social media accounts tracking his travel are becoming a growing security issue.
Musk commented on a Twitter statement by co-founder of Twin Birch Sawyer Merritt on Monday.
“Going forward I won’t be posting any reported travel plans for @elonmusk. I would encourage others to do so too. I’m sure Elon doesn’t want that stuff reported & at the end of the day, we want to keep Elon and his family safe. This is why I deleted that post 2 days ago,” Merritt wrote.
Yeah, unfortunately this is becoming a security issue
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 18, 2022
“Yeah, unfortunately this is becoming a security issue,” Musk replied.
Merritt further elaborated in a second post.
“If Elon or Tesla feels like telling us where he is going then he/they can do so. I look forward to seeing what comes of his next Giga Berlin visit,” he wrote.
If Elon or Tesla feels like telling us where he is going then he/they can do so. I look forward to seeing what comes of his next Giga Berlin visit. Cheers everyone.
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 18, 2022
The popular post led to a follow up statement by Merritt.
“Today I was thinking there are some accounts literally dedicated to tracking Elon’s every move & I also saw multiple EV blogs reporting from their own sources Elon’s upcoming Berlin visit so I thought I’d say something & encourage others to stop. Ok, that’s all,” he reported.
Today I was thinking there are some accounts literally dedicated to tracking Elon's every move & I also saw multiple EV blogs reporting from their own sources Elon's upcoming Berlin visit so I thought I'd say something & encourage others to stop.
Ok, that's all.
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 18, 2022
The news came after Musk personally denied a report that he would be visiting Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory this week.
“I [obviously] can’t comment on every rumor, but this isn’t true. Am headed to Berlin mid Feb, not this week,” Musk replied.
I obv can’t comment on every rumor, but this isn’t true. Am headed to Berlin mid Feb, not this week.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 17, 2022
The Tesla CEO reportedly visited the company’s Berlin factory in October. The site could potentially produce up to 10,000 vehicles per week in the future, according to Musk.
“Tesla hopes to deliver the first vehicles from its new Berlin factory in December, but volume production will take longer to achieve, Chief Executive Elon Musk said at a festival held at the site on Saturday,” Reuters reported.
“He added that he hoped to achieve volume production of batteries at the site by the end of next year. Volume production at the plant would amount to about 5,000, ‘but hopefully’ 10,000 vehicles per week, he added,” according to the report.
Musk has been busy in other efforts as well. Friday, he announced that Tesla merchandise can now be purchased with the cryptocurrency Dogecoin — causing the price of the digital coin to soar. The Daily Wire reported:
Musk’s five-word tweet — “Tesla merch buyable with Dogecoin” — earned nearly 300,000 likes and drove the currency to surge by more than 20% before shedding some of its gains. At the time of this article’s publication, the price of Dogecoin rests at roughly $0.19.
Tesla merch buyable with Dogecoin
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 14, 2022
Indeed, Tesla’s merchandise store features several items available for purchase via Dogecoin — including a 200-Doge Cybertruck trucker hat, a 205-Doge Cybertruck beanie, and an 835-Doge “Giga Texas Belt Buckle.”
Dogecoin — originally based on an internet meme — surged over 1,500% last February, attaining a total valuation exceeding $10 billion. Musk first tweeted about the satirical currency on February 4, proclaiming that “Dogecoin is the people’s crypto.”