Current:Home > NewsTaylor Swift's private jet tracker claps back, saying he's done 'nothing unlawful' -ProfitMasters Hub
Taylor Swift's private jet tracker claps back, saying he's done 'nothing unlawful'
View
Date:2025-04-21 13:06:10
One college student has no problem sharing Taylor Swift's flight paths all too well.
University of Central Florida student Jack Sweeney is pushing back on a cease-and-desist letter sent to him by Swift's attorney demanding he stop publicly posting the singer's flights on her jet. The 21-year-old ran the now-defunct Instagram page @taylorswiftjets, where he reported her flight activity using data from various sources of publicly available information.
Swift's attorney, Katie Wright Morrone, sent multiple letters to Sweeney demanding that he stop tracking and publicly sharing her flight information. In a dismissive reply shared on X on Monday, Sweeney's attorney said the 22-year-old student and his company, GRNDCTRL, did nothing illegal.
Sweeney captioned the post, "Look What You Made Me Do," referencing the title track off Swift's 2017 "Reputation" album. He also shared the two letters sent to him by Swift's team.
"Put simply, there is nothing unlawful about GRNDCTRL's use of publicly accessible information to track private jets, including those by public figures like Taylor Swift," wrote Sweeney's attorney, James Slater.
Slater argued that Sweeney's speech is protected and did not violate any of Swift's legal rights. He added that GRNDCTRL has also reported flight history for Russian oligarchs and Elon Musk.
'Texas Hold 'Em':Beyoncé becomes first Black woman to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart
Attorneys rejects claims he posed 'credible threat' to Swift
Swift's attorneys argue that Sweeney's actions put the popstar at risk by providing up-to-date location information accessible to potential stalkers and would-be harassers.
Slater rejected those claims by clarifying that Sweeney is using information that is already made publicly available. He added that the language in Morrone's letter defines a stalker as someone who poses a "credible threat" to a victim.
"Our clients have never made any threats against Ms. Swift and your letter does not suggest they have done so," Slater said. "Further, your letter's tone is unfounded."
USA TODAY has reached out to Swift's representatives for comment.
How is Taylor Swift's jet being tracked?
Sweeney has multiple social media accounts tracking aircrafts belonging to celebrities, billionaires and politicians, with some even analyzing the carbon footprint of the jet owners' trips.
The information doesn't come from one source bur rather uses data pieced together from a few different sources of publicly available information, such as registration information from the Federal Aviation Administration, and broadcast signals from the planes themselves. Those signals are known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, data.
ADS-B technology is required by the Federal Aviation Administration on aircraft and shares real-time position, altitude and other information that is important to air traffic controllers. The data also allows for sites like FlightAware.com to show real-time commercial flight locations.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci and Christopher Cann
veryGood! (2)
Related
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Margot Robbie Channels OG Barbie With Sexy Vintage Look
- Two Md. Lawmakers Demand Answers from Environmental Regulators. The Hogan Administration Says They’ll Have to Wait
- The EPA says Americans could save $1 trillion on gas under its auto emissions plan
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Plan to Save North Dakota Coal Plant Faces Intense Backlash from Minnesotans Who Would Help Pay for It
- Timeline: The disappearance of Maya Millete
- A big misconception about debt — and how to tackle it
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Prices: What goes up, doesn't always come down
Ranking
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- The Biden Administration Rethinks its Approach to Drilling on Public Lands in Alaska, Soliciting Further Review
- Why Do Environmental Justice Advocates Oppose Carbon Markets? Look at California, They Say
- The loneliness of Fox News' Bret Baier
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- 25 hospitalized after patio deck collapses during event at Montana country club
- No, the IRS isn't calling you. It isn't texting or emailing you, either
- Timeline: The disappearance of Maya Millete
Recommendation
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Chipotle and Sweetgreen's short-lived beef over a chicken burrito bowl gets resolved
The New US Climate Law Will Reduce Carbon Emissions and Make Electricity Less Expensive, Economists Say
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Officially Move Out of Frogmore Cottage
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
Why Tia Mowry Says Her 2 Kids Were Part of Her Decision to Divorce Cory Hardrict
New Jersey school bus monitor charged with manslaughter after allegedly using phone as disabled girl suffocated
Child dies from brain-eating amoeba after visiting hot spring, Nevada officials say