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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
John Dunne

Taylor Swift threatens student who tracks her private jet with legal action

Taylor Swift's lawyers have threatened legal action against a student who runs a social media account that tracks her private jet, according to reports in the US.

The star's legal firm sent a letter to Jack Sweeney, 21, demanding that he stop logging her flights including take-off and landing times and locations.

Sweeney, a junior at the University of Central Florida, has run social media accounts that track the flight paths of planes and helicopters owned by celebrities, billionaires, politicians and other public figures.

He also logs the estimated amount of CO2 they produce.

His accounts use publicly available data, but Swift's legal team claim revealing the details to a wide audience amounts to harassment.

Swift's attorneys in Washington say the 14-time Grammy winner would have "have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies' if he did not stop his 'stalking and harassing behavior", according to the Wall Street Journal.

The letter added that Sweeney's accounts had caused Swift and her family "direct and irreparable harm, as well as emotional and physical distress," as well as heightening her "constant state of fear for her personal safety".

The letter, which was sent to Sweeney's family home, claimed that there was no "legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control."

Katie Wright Morrone from Venable law firm, who wrote the cease and desist letter, accused Sweeney of treating his social media revelations like a "game", according to the WSJ.

She added: "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."

One man arrested last month outside Swift's townhouse in Manhattan and was arrested on suspicion of stalking.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Sweeney said he intended "no harm".

He wrote: "I think it’s important to note that nowhere do I intend for harm. I actually think Swift has some good songs. I believe in transparency and public information, apparently more so than Meta.

"Also important to note that this letter came days after headlines about her jet use caused bad headlines for her about carbon emissions.

"I think the people are interested and that you should have a decent expectation that your jet will be tracked whether or not I do it as after all it is public information."

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