Attorneys for Taylor Swift are threatening legal action against the Florida college student who tracks the private jets of celebrities and public numbers, including Swift.
Jack Sweeney verified to CNN on Tuesday that he entered a check- and- desist letter threatening legal action from attorneys for Swift about the social media accounts he runs that track Swift’s breakouts.
Sweeney is the same person who famously drew wrath from billionaire Elon Musk for tracking his jet travels online. Musk, who owns X, disbanded Sweeney’s account “@ElonJet ” on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter in December 2022.
Sweeney, who was let back on the X platform, also runs accounts that track the private jet movements of Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and a torrent of other celebrities and public numbers. Musk has preliminarily said the accounts pose a “ security threat ” for him and his family.
Sweeney operates the accounts on several social media platforms using publicly-available flight data from the Federal Aviation Administration as well as flight signals tracked by individual aeronautics suckers, and frequently includes estimates of carbon emigrations from each flight he tracks in the posts.
The December letter from Swift’s lead attorney on this issue, Katie Morrone of Venable LLP, accuses Sweeney of engaging in “ stalking and draining geste , including constantly publishing real- time and precise information about our customer’s position and unborn whereabouts to the public on social media. ”
The letter claims this poses an “ imminent threat to the safety and good ” of Swift. It also accuses Sweeney of disregarding the public safety of others “ in exchange for public attention and/ or requests for financial gain. ”
The letter indeed references CNN reporting on Musk immolation Sweeney$ 5,000 to cancel the Twitter account tracking his jet.( Sweeney refused this offer at the time and asked for$ 50,000, saying he could use the money to pay for college or maybe to buy a Tesla).
The letter states that it’s a “ life- or- death matter ” for Swift, who has dealt with stalkers and others who wish her detriment since she was a teenager. The letter states that there are “ many public cases ” of individualities who have come to Swift’s places, including fortified with munitions and security, and “ tried to harm her. ” The letter argues that participating her position information gives these bad actors “ a roadmap to carry out their plans. ”
still, her attorneys add, “ She’ll have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies available to her, If Sweeney continues to publish information tracking Swift’s jet travels. ”
Sweeney told CNN over email that he entered the letter from Swift’s attorneys after captions from somenon-profit associations and media outlets scanned the songster’s carbon footprint.
Sweeney also told CNN that he never intended any detriment with his actions, noting that he’s collecting “ public information. ”
“ I actually think Swift has some good songs, ” Sweeney added. Still, he said, “ I believe in transparency and public information. ” Sweeney also said there’s high public interest from Swift’s fans in the accounts, saying she should have “ a decent anticipation ” that her jet will be tracked “ whether or not I do it. ”
A representative for Taylor Swift declined CNN’s request for comment Tuesday. When asked about substantiation that sharpers of Swift had used the jet- tracking accounts run by Sweeney, a spokesman for Swift told the Washington Post, “ We can not note on any ongoing police disquisition but can confirm the timing of stalkers suggests a connection. His posts tell you exactly when and where she’d be. ”
Interest in Swift’s forthcoming travels, and specifically whether she’ll make it back to the US from her overseas tour in time to see her boyfriend Travis Kelce in the Super Bowl, has boosted in recent weeks.
