Taylor Swift finds herself in the spotlight once again, this time over a cease and desist letter sent to Jack Sweeney, the man behind the social media account @taylorswiftjets, which tracks the location of her private jet.
The 34-year-old 'Karma' singer's legal team has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Sweeney - a University of Central Florida student who runs social media accounts tracking the private jet use of several public figures.
For years, the programmer, 21, used his pages to log the takeoffs and landings of planes and helicopters owned by celebrities, billionaires, politicians, and Russian oligarchs.
He obtains this information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and recruits hobbyists who broadcast signals from aircraft so that he can measure their carbon footprint usage.
Sweeney claims Swift's team is providing conflicting information, sparking a heated debate over privacy and transparency.
Sweeney's account, known for monitoring celebrities' jet movements, was suspended by Meta platforms Instagram, Threads, and Facebook. The entrepreneur, featured on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list, uses bots to track jet locations, aiming to promote transparency, particularly concerning carbon emissions.
While Swift isn't the sole focus of Sweeney's tracking, her team raised concerns about her safety, prompting the issuance of a cease and desist letter. Sweeney spoke out, highlighting what he perceives as inconsistencies in Swift's team's statements regarding her jet usage. He stated to The Mirror, "These statements contradict each other, much like her team’s response to owning a single jet, which has only been true for the past two weeks."
Sweeney alleges that Swift's family owned one jet until recently, suggesting that claims of sole ownership downplay their jet usage. He also expressed concerns about Swift's response to environmental criticism, citing her team's limited engagement on emission-related inquiries.
In response to the letter, Swift's legal team emphasized the seriousness of the situation, citing the singer's history with stalkers and threats to her safety. However, Sweeney questioned Swift's team's silence on emission-related inquiries, pointing out that Swift's carbon footprint isn't among the top concerns according to MyClimateTracker.
Despite the controversy, Sweeney maintains he isn't out to harm Swift, expressing admiration for her music.
He also addressed previous accusations from Elon Musk, suggesting that his actions aren't targeted and advocating for Swift's increased privacy measures.
Swift's spokesperson commented on the matter, hinting at potential connections between Sweeney's tracking and recent stalking incidents involving the singer.