Taylor Swift threatens legal action against Florida college student over tracking her private jet

ORLANDO, Fla. — Taylor Swift’s attorneys are threatening to sue a Florida college student who tracks the private jets of celebrities and public figures, Action News Jax sister station WFTV in Orlando is reporting.

On Tuesday, the University of Central Florida student, Jack Sweeney, confirmed he received a cease-and-desist letter threatening legal action from Swift’s attorneys over the social media accounts he runs that track Swift’s flights.

The letter also reportedly cites anonymous Instagram comments from Swifties, describing Sweeney’s jet tracking as “pathetic” and “weird.”

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Sweeney relies on public data from the Federal Aviation Administration and a network of volunteers to manage the accounts. Volunteer hobbyists can also track the aircraft via the signals they broadcast.

The letter claims the accounts pose an imminent threat to the safety and well-being of Swift.

Sweeney had for years run accounts that tracked the takeoffs and landings of aircraft owned by high-profile individuals, including billionaires, politicians, and public figures like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates due to their Carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change.

Private jet flights are often criticized for their “disproportionately high” carbon footprint, and Sweeney’s social media accounts have frequently been used to call out their most famous passengers.

In 2022, the accounts were cited in an analysis that estimated that Taylor Swift was the “biggest celebrity [carbon dioxide] polluter” of the year.

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