Elon Musk, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, was recently at the center of an inadvertent disclosure by The New York Times. In an article detailing life in West Lake Hills, Texas, near Musk’s residence, the Times briefly exposed Musk’s home address through an image accompanying the piece. This image featured a document outlining zoning complaints against Musk, prominently displaying his address.
Upon receiving a request for comment from The Intercept, the Times swiftly updated the image to remove the address, replacing the text with a translucent background. A spokesperson for the Times, Charlie Stadtlander, stated that the image had been revised by an editor and that updates are made to their journalism when necessary. Despite the revision, the original unredacted image remains accessible on the Times’ website.
Musk, contacted via his DOGE email, did not respond to inquiries. The Intercept verified the address mentioned in the Times’ image by cross-referencing details from the article with online maps, satellite imagery, and real estate listings. The Times article describes Musk’s property as a $6 million, 6,900-square-foot home with six bedrooms, located in an upscale cul-de-sac in West Lake Hills, Texas.
This incident is not the first time Musk has faced issues regarding the sharing of his personal information. He has previously reacted strongly against those who disclosed his private details, referring to such information as “assassination coordinates.” For example, he banned a Twitter account that tracked the real-time location of his private jet and also barred reporters who covered or linked to this account.
The Times has a history of inadvertently revealing sensitive information in its story art, such as a source’s passport number in the past. While the outlet has been cautious about publishing exact addresses of public figures, it has occasionally disclosed partial location details, like the street name of Darren Wilson, the officer involved in Michael Brown’s death, in 2014.
— new from The Intercept