(NEXSTAR) — For the Taylor Swift superfans, especially those hoping to see her at the Super Bowl this weekend, it can be compelling to track where Swift — or more specifically, her private jet — is at any given time.
The future of an account dedicated to tracking Swift’s jet, run by University of Central Florida student Jack Sweeney, could be grim, though.
Sweeney has faced backlash for his aircraft tracking before. In 2022, Twitter, now X, suspended his account that used publicly available flight data to track Elon Musk’s private jet, despite a pledge by the social media platform’s new owner to keep it up because of his free speech principles. That account remains suspended, but others, like this one dedicated to tracking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ private jet, remain available.
It’s also on a 24-hour delay, as is the account dedicated to tracking the private jet of Taylor Swift.
However, Swift’s legal team has threatened to take action against Sweeney, The Washington Post first reported Tuesday. The outlet, as well as Bloomberg, report Swift’s attorney sent Sweeney a cease-and-desist letter in December, warning that they would pursue “any and all legal remedies” if he didn’t stop the “stalking and harassing behavior.”
“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. 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,” the letter read, in part, according to information provided to Nexstar.
A spokesperson for the singer also told Nexstar that, “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.”
In a statement to Nexstar, Sweeney notes the information he uses for his tracking accounts is publicly available. He explained that if Swift’s team is concerned about her privacy and safety, they should register the plane to a trust rather than an LLC, “especially when the LLC is the initials to the names in your family.” Additionally, Sweeney called out the tail number on Swift’s plane, N898TS, which contains Swift’s initials and her birthday, 1989.
“When the Embassy of Japan in the USA expresses confidence that Swift can make a flight from Tokyo to the Super Bowl, it indicates public interest,” he noted. “Therefore, 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.”
Last month, a Seattle man was arrested for allegedly stalking and harassing Swift outside her home in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. A protective order was issued against the man, identified as 33-year-old David Crowe, but police say he violated it a short time later and was arrested again near Swift’s home.
An unidentified security worker reportedly told authorities that Crowe had been seen near Swift’s residence about 30 times since late November. He was asked about 10 times to either leave or to not approach the building.
Swift’s Manhattan townhouse has been the scene of several break-ins when Swift wasn’t there, including by some who were identified as stalkers. In 2021, another man was arrested for trespassing after he allegedly tried to break into Swift’s Manhattan home. In 2018, a different man was arrested for breaking into her New York apartment and taking a nap.
James Slater, a lawyer working for Sweeney has responded to the letter from Swift’s legal team, saying his client’s account poses “no threat” to the star’s safety and isn’t violating any of her rights. He told The Washington Post he has not received a response.
Slater called the action by Swift’s legal team “their means to try to quash a PR issue.”
Swift is among a number of high-profile figures who have been called out for the pollution being caused by their private flights. In 2022, a report listed Swift’s jet as the worst offender when it came to CO2 pollution caused by flights.
At the time, representatives for Swift criticized the claims, saying much of the flight time was caused by other people renting her plane.
Scrutiny has been rising again recently amid Swift’s flights to catch Kansas City Chiefs games, with people pointing out the planet-warming emissions of carbon dioxide released with every flight. However, some have noted the immense react to Swift’s travels may be a bit overdrawn.
“It’s striking that Ms. Swift gets so much of the outrage when private jet customers are overwhelmingly men over 50,” said Jeff Colgan, a professor of political science at Brown University, previously told The Associated Press. “The focus really should be on a broader class of people.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
