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Taylor Swift is claiming an “imminent threat to the safety and wellbeing” in a recently published cease and desist letter sent to a college student tracking the movements of her private jet.
Swift’s preferred mode of transport has been gossip fodder since a sustainable digital marketing agency, The Yard Group, dubbed her the celebrity with the highest amount of private jet carbon emissions in 2022. Following her movements became catnip for dedicated Swifties, especially in the lead-up to the 2024 Super Bowl where she is reported to be racing against time by flying from Tokyo to Las Vegas to cheer on her NFL player boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
But riding off the high of her recently announced 11th studio album and history-making Grammy win, Swift is threatening legal action against 22-year-old college junior and programmer Jack Sweeney, demanding he stops releasing information about her jet’s movements. The Florida student was the owner of the now-defunct social media account @taylorswiftjets. He used publicly available data to chronicle the taking-offs and landings of Swift’s Dassault Falcon 7X.
Sweeney claims it’s “transparency”, especially in the wake of the climate crisis and global boiling. Swift claims it’s “stalking” and a “life-or-death” manner to her.
The optics of the cease and desist document haven’t swayed the public’s interest in Swift’s favour, as many have vocalised their concern about her excessive in-air time in exacerbating carbon emissions. (Representatives of Swift have claimed the star has purchased double the amount of carbon credits to offset the CO2 released in her travels.)
Some claim that Swift has even made tactical efforts to optimise search engine results in her favour when Googling “Taylor Swift Jets” by attending football matches for the New York team with the same name. Because of her presence at the match, the internet will feed you images of her in the stands with Blake Lively rather than articles documenting her carbon footprint.
In the letter, representatives of Swift claim that Sweeney’s actions have given her stalkers—who are a credible threat to her safety and have already invaded her privacy on numerous occasions—”a roadmap to carry out their plans”. Sweeney doesn’t see it this way, stating to the BBC: “Nowhere do I intend for harm. I actually think Swift has some good songs. I believe in transparency and public information, ”
Sweeney has garnered a reputation for earning the ire of the celebrities, billionaires and politicians that he tracks. In the wake of the letter, Elon Musk labelled Sweeney as an “awful human being”, adding that Swift has “every right to be concerned.” Sweeney claimed that Musk offered him $5,000 to delete his Twitter account dedicated to documenting his jet’s movements before rescinding the offer.
Sweeney has intermittently stopped sharing information on Swift’s movements—perhaps fortuitous timing to drum up anticipation and further speculation about Swift’s attendance at the Super Bowl. But the letter hasn’t fully detracted Sweeney: “This information is already out there. Her team thinks they can control the world.”
