Why Taylor Swift's Team Is Threatening to Sue a College Student Tracking Her Jet's Movements
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's team is issuing a stern warning to one young man who has been tracking her, along with other celebrities', jet movements.
In December, the pop star's team sent a cease and desist letter to University of Central Florida student Jack Sweeney, which reportedly ordered him to stop posting the "Lavender Haze" singer's whereabouts on his social media accounts.
Why? Specifically, the notification is due to concerns surrounding safety, as the legal note explained Swift's well-being is at risk as a result of her jet being tracked, making her fearful of things such as potential stalkers—a viable concern due to her recent experiences with unlawful intruders—and causing emotional and physical distress.
According to The Washington Post, who allegedly viewed the document, Swift's attorneys sent a clear warning to Sweeney that they would "have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies" if he continued the "stalking and harassing behavior."
The note reportedly read: "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," later adding that there was simply "no legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control."
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For a while, Sweeney ran one social media account that was completely dedicated to tracking Taylor's private jet under the username @taylorswiftjets, in addition to a separate account following other celebrities' aircrafts. To obtain the information shared, he was using publicly available data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), along with nonprofessional insight often thrown out "for fun," per TMZ's intel.
In regards to being told he must cease the tracking behaviors, though, it seems he still has his mind set on doing the opposite, as the outlet reported that Sweeney's attorneys insist he's not in violation of any laws, and is simply posting data that's already available to the public, should they attempt to seek it out.
Additionally, he has allegedly attempted to create different Swift-tracking pages on all the major social media platforms but has been banned for violating their privacy rules.
On Instagram, the @taylorswiftjets account is no longer accessible, so from the looks of it, it has either been disabled or deleted, but whether that move was voluntary or involuntary is unclear. The general aircraft tracking account under @celebrityjets, however, is still active and open and includes coverage of Blake Shelton, Travis Scott, and Tom Cruise's aircraft whereabouts, in addition to other notables like Drake, John Travolta, and Alexander Rodriguez.
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