In a recent controversy, Taylor Swift’s lawyers have threatened legal action against a student who tracks the private jets of celebrities and shares their flight information online. Jack Sweeney, a 21-year-old student at the University of Central Florida, uses publicly available data to monitor the take-offs and landings of planes belonging to the wealthy. However, Swift’s legal team claims that this tracking amounts to “stalking.”
Mr. Sweeney’s tracking activities came under scrutiny in 2022 when he was banned from Twitter after Elon Musk accused him of sharing his “assassination coordinates.” Now, Swift’s lawyers have issued a cease-and-desist letter to Mr. Sweeney, demanding that he stop sharing the location of her private jet. The letter, issued in December, argues that this information poses an “imminent threat to the safety and wellbeing” of Swift, characterizing it as a “life-or-death matter” for her. It references the numerous stalkers she has encountered throughout her career and claims that the data provides criminals with “a roadmap to carry out their plans.”
It is important to note that the contents of the letter have been reported by US media, and the BBC has not independently reviewed it. In response, Mr. Sweeney has emphasized that he does not intend any harm through his actions. He expressed his appreciation for Swift’s music and stated that he believes in transparency and public information. The threatening letter was received after media outlets began scrutinizing Swift’s carbon footprint, as she topped the list of celebrities with the highest private jet CO2 emissions in 2022, according to digital marketing firm Yard. Her jet emissions were found to be approximately 1,185 times higher than the average person’s total annual emissions.
Swift’s travel plans have attracted increased attention from fans due to her highly publicized concert tour. However, her private jet tracking has also drawn criticism. Last month, a 33-year-old man was arrested on stalking charges outside Swift’s home, and a spokeswoman for Swift suggested that the posts about her jet were partly to blame. While the connection between the posts and the stalking incident is still under investigation, the timing of the stalker’s actions aligns with the information shared by Mr. Sweeney.
It is worth noting that Mr. Sweeney’s posts do not disclose any information about the individuals traveling on the planes or their destinations upon landing. His tracking activities extend beyond Taylor Swift and include other wealthy Americans such as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
In conclusion, the legal threats against the student who tracks Taylor Swift’s private jet highlight the ongoing debate around privacy and public information. While Swift’s legal team argues that the tracking amounts to stalking and poses a threat to her safety, Mr. Sweeney maintains that his intentions are not malicious. As the controversy unfolds, it raises questions about the balance between transparency, privacy, and the responsibilities that come with sharing publicly available data.
