Taylor Swift Threatens to Sue Student Who Tracks Her Private Jet

Taylor Swift's lawyers are threatening legal action against a Florida college student who has spent the past several years tracking her private jet and documenting her flight log online. After Jack Sweeney confirmed to Billboard Tuesday that he received a cease-and-desist letter from Swift's attorneys in December, Entertainment Tonight confirmed that the singer-songwriter's legal team has threatened to sue the University of Central Florida student.

"We are aware of your public disputes with other high-profile individuals and your tactics in those interactions, including offering to stop your harmful behavior only in exchange for items of value," the December legal letter, first reported on by The Washington Post, reads, citing Sweeney's dispute with Elon Musk, who banned the student from X (formerly Twitter) in 2022. "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. Ms. Swift has dealt with stalkers and other individuals who wish her harm."

In recent years, there have been several stalking incidents involving the singer. Last month, a man was arrested three times within a week outside of her Manhattan home. In a statement, to Entertainment Tonight, Swift's publicist, Tree Paine, stressed the risk of stalkers, telling the outlet, "we cannot comment on any ongoing police investigation but can confirm the timing of stalkers suggests a connection. His posts tell you exactly when and where she would be."

Sweeney has spent the past several years documenting the flights of celebrities and other public figures including Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, and Donald Trump, among numerous others, on his various social media accounts. He uses information gathered from public flight data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as and volunteer hobbyists who can track the aircraft via the signals they broadcast. He does not share who is on the vessels he is tracking or where they go after landing. He also shares the number of gallons of fuel used, the cost of the fuel, and the alleged emission rates for each flight.

Swift's lawyer's argued that Sweeny's actions have caused "direct and irreparable harm, as well as emotional and physical distress." They added that Swift lives in a "constant state of fear for her personal safety." The letter also stated that Sweeney's actions are "in violation of several state laws," though it did not specify any laws.

At the time, Swift's lawyers said they would have "have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies" if Sweeney did not stop posting the locations of Swift's private jet," adding that they "will not hesitate to escalate this matter as needed."

Addressing the letter in a statement to Billboard, Sweeney said his "intentions are not to cause harm" but that "I believe in the importance of transparency and public information."

He continued, "Swift's team suggests that I have no legitimate interest in sharing jet information, which is fundamentally incorrect," adding that there is clear "public interest" in tracking Swift's flights. "One should reasonably expect that their jet will be tracked, whether or not I'm the one doing it, as it is public information after all."

Meanwhile, his lawyers, in a statement to the Post, called the claims from Swift's lawyers "hyperbolic and unfounded."