In response, Sweeney said that he never intended any harm with his actions.
Attorneys for Taylor Swift are threatening legal action against the Florida college student who tracks the private jets of celebrities and public figures, including the 'Love Story' singer. According to The Guardian, Swift's lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Jack Sweeney, a University of Central Florida student who runs several social media accounts tracking the private jet use of Swift and other celebrities. Notably, Sweeney is the same person who famously caught Elon Musk's attention for tracking his jet travels online. He uses publicly available data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and broadcast aircraft signals to track public figures' jet use and measure their carbon footprints.
In December, Swift's attorney accused Sweeney of engaging in "stalking and harassing behaviours" over his tracking of Swift's jet activity. "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," attorney Katie Wright Morrone wrote in the letter, as per The Guardian. Ms Morrone added that there was "no legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control".
As per CNN, the letter accuses the college student of disregarding the public safety of others "in exchange for public attention and/or requests for financial gain". It even references a CNN article on Musk offering Sweeney $5,000 to delete the Twitter account tracking his jet.
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The letter states that it is a "life-or-death matter" for Swift, who has dealt with stalkers and others who wish her harm since she was a teenager. It also states that there are "many public cases" of individuals who have come to the pop star's residence, including armed with weapons and ammunition, and "attempted to harm her". The letter argues that sharing Swift's location information gives these bad actors "a roadmap to carry out their plans".
Taylor Swift's attorney said that if Sweeney continues to publish information tracking their client's jet travels, "she will have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies available to her".
In response to the letter, Sweeney told CNN that he never intended any harm with his actions, noting that he is compiling "public information". "I actually think Swift has some good songs," the college student said. "I believe in transparency and public information," he added.
Sweeney also went on to say that there is high public interest from Swift's fans in the accounts. She could have a "decent expectation" that her jet will be tracked "whether or not I do it," he added.