Pop sensation Taylor Swift’s attorneys have threatened legal action against Jack Sweeney, a student who tracks private jets of celebrities, including that of the Blank Space hitmaker.
As per a report by The Guardian, Ms Swift’s lawyers have sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mr Sweeney.
Back in December last year, Taylor Swift’s attorney accused Mr Sweeney of engaging in “stalking and harassing behaviours” over his tracking of the American singer’s jet activity.
The report quoted attorney Katie Wright Morrone’s letter as saying, “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.”
The letter added that there was “no legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control”.
Who Is Jack Sweeney
Jack Sweeney is a university student from Florida, United States. The 21-year-old runs several social media accounts tracking the private jet use of Taylor Swift and other celebrities. As per BBC, Mr Sweeney is the son of an airline maintenance operations controller and a teacher.
Mr Sweeney, who grew up in the suburbs of Orlando, is the same person who famously caught Elon Musk’s attention for tracking his jet travels online.
Reportedly, he uses publicly available data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and broadcasts aircraft signals to track public figures’ jet use and measure their carbon footprints.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s attorney has said that if Mr Sweeney continues to publish information tracking her jet travels, “she will have no choice but to pursue any legal remedies available to her”.
According to a report by CNN, the letter by Ms Morrone accuses Mr Sweeney of disregarding the public safety of others “in exchange for public attention and/or requests for financial gain”.
The letter even references Elon Musk offering Mr Sweeney $5,000 to delete the Twitter account tracking his jet.
Responding to this letter, the 21-year-old has said he never intended any harm with his actions, noting that he is compiling “public information”.
He added, “I actually think Swift has some good songs,” the college student said. “I believe in transparency and public information.”