Private jet tracker provokes the ire of Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's legal team has issued a warning to Jack Sweeney, a 21-year-old Florida student who runs social media accounts tracking the movements of her private jet. Swift's lawyers have claimed that Sweeney's tracking helped her stalkers and put her safety at risk. They have threatened legal action if he doesn't stop his "stalking and harassing behavior," which they say caused "direct and irreparable harm" to Swift and her family.
Why does this story matter?
Sweeney's accounts monitor the flights of various high-profile individuals, including billionaires, politicians, and celebrities, using data from the Federal Aviation Administration and volunteer enthusiasts. He has also created accounts to monitor the private jets of Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, Kim Kardashian, and Mark Zuckerberg. While Sweeney's accounts tracking Swift's flights were banned on Facebook and Instagram last year, they are still active on Bluesky, Mastodon, Telegram, and other social media platforms.
Swift's lawyers cited safety concerns in their letter
Swift's lawyers argued that there is no legitimate reason for sharing this information, other than to stalk and harass the singer. The popstar's spokesperson, Tree Paine, stated: "We cannot comment on any ongoing police investigation but can confirm the timing of stalkers suggests a connection." "His posts tell you exactly when and where she would be." Swift has dealt with numerous stalkers throughout her career, with one individual arrested last month for attempting to break into her Manhattan home.
'This information is already out there'
Sweeney defended his actions, arguing that he was only sharing public information and that his accounts offered an incomplete picture of Swift's whereabouts. He stated, "This information is already out there. Her team thinks they can control the world." James Slater, a lawyer representing Sweeney, argued that his account is "engaged in protected speech that does not violate any of Swift's legal rights."
Sweeney previously estimated Swift's private jet usage
Sweeney's Instagram account (@TaylorSwiftJets) had previously estimated the carbon footprint of Swift's globe-trotting trips as she performed her The Eras Tour and frequently flew back to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce's NFL games. She topped the list of celebrities with the highest carbon dioxide emissions from private jets in 2022. In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for Swift at the time noted that her jet was frequently loaned out to others and attributing all trips to her was "blatantly incorrect."
When the jet tracker faced suspension from X
Sweeney had previously faced suspension from X/Twitter in December 2022, following his creation of a jet-tracking account that had irritated Elon Musk. Musk then characterized the tracking of the aircraft as a form of "doxxing." In his statement, Musk went so far as to liken the sharing of this flight's information to revealing his "assassination coordinates." Despite the suspension, Sweeney managed to relaunch his account on X—albeit with a 24-hour delay to comply with the site's real-time location tracking rules.
