Attorneys for Taylor Swift have threatened to sue a 21-year-old college student who operates social media accounts that track the movement of private jets belonging to her and other celebrities, the Washington Post reported. The "Anti-Hero" star's lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to University of Central Florida junior Jack Sweeney.
Sweeney has been using Federal Aviation Administration data and information from other amateur plane spotters to report the location of private aircraft. The aircraft include hundreds of jets and helicopters belonging to Russian oligarchs, politicians, billionaires, and other public figures.
Swift's attorney, Katie Wright Morrone, penned the letter in December warning there would be "no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies" if he didn't quit "stalking and harassing behavior." Sweeney shared the letter with the Post that he insisted was used as a scare tactic.
Morrone, who is an attorney for the Washington-based law firm Venable, claimed Sweeney's accounts caused "direct and irreparable harm, as well as emotional and physical distress" to Swift and her family. Swift is allegedly in a "constant state of fear for her personal safety" because of Sweeney.
"While this may be a game to you, or an avenue that you hope will earn you wealth or fame, it is a life-or-death matter for our Client," Morrone wrote. The attorney claimed there was "no legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control."
Morrone pointed out that the "Enchanted" singer has already had problems with stalkers. One of them, who showed up at her Manhattan townhouse, was arrested and will face charges of harassment.
There's no evidence that the stalker used Sweeney's posts to find the "Blank Space" singer, but spokeswoman Tree Paine insinuated that it's a possibility. "We cannot comment on any ongoing police investigation but can confirm the timing of stalkers suggests a connection," Paine said.
"His posts tell you exactly when and where she would be," she added. Billionaire and X CEO Elon Musk has similarly accused Sweeney of putting the people at risk.
In 2022, Musk banned Sweeney from his platform, then known as Twitter, after accusing him of sharing "assassination coordinates" with the world. However, Sweeney never shares who is riding in the aircraft or where they're headed after disembarking.
Sweeney insists that he's not doing anything wrong when it comes to Swift. "This information is already out there. Her team thinks they can control the world," he said of Swift.
Around the time Swift's attorney was pursuing Sweeney, Facebook and Instagram, which are under the same Meta parent company, kicked Sweeney off of the platform. They cited rules about privacy even as the information the young man uses is available elsewhere.
Notably, Sweeney's accounts also include carbon emissions estimates for the flights, which surely contributes to the "Bad Blood" artist's ire. Environmentalists malign private jets and the people who use them because of their high impact on the environment.
Paine insisted that before Swift's "Eras" tour, the star had purchased twice as many "carbon credits" than needed to offset the emissions of her plane. Swift has also claimed that she loans out her plane and is therefore not personally culpable for the emissions.
It's important to strike a balance between freedom and security when it comes to disseminating information about a public figure. However, it's still unclear whether what Sweeney did broke any laws, even if Swift, Musk, and others don't like it.
