Taylor Swift's lawyers have threatened litigation against Jack Sweeney, the programmer behind popular private jet tracking social media accounts.
(PLGNN) - Jack Sweeney is a programmer in his 20s who is known for tracking the jets of well known celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He also tracks a large amount of Russian oligarchs. The accounts have put Sweeney in a large amount of controversy with the celebrities, and the way the various celebrities have responded to him have been vastly different.
When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis found out his jet was being tracked, DeSantis quietly signed a bill to shield his flight records from the eyes of taxpayers. When Elon Musk took over X, he reinstated previously banned accounts, such as the accounts of former president Donald Trump, rapper Kanye West, and controversial influencer Andrew Tate. Musk said that the only accounts that should be banned are the accounts of scammers, however, Musk tweeted that X would suspend any real-time location data, as it could cause a physical threat. Musk also threatened to sue Sweeney. Musk said that accounts posting with a delay could remain, and Sweeney came back later with a delayed version of the account.
Mark Zuckerberg has not directed responded to the jet tracker accounts, and he continues to let the accounts run on his social media platforms Instagram and Threads.
Sweeney has only accepted one offer to shut down a jet tracker, and that was in a unique offer from Shark Tank star and billionaire business owner Mark Cuban. The deal supposedly went down at a basketball game, where Sweeney was offered friendship and business advice from the billionaire.
Taylor Swift is the most recent celebrity to feud with Sweeney, with her lawyers threatening to sue the college junior. One of Swift's lawyers, Katie Wright Morrone, wrote a letter to Sweeney's parent's home, and Sweeney sent it to the Washington Post, that said Sweeney's tracker had caused Swift and her family, "direct and irreparable harm, as well as emotional and physical distress,” and had heightened her “constant state of fear for her personal safety."
All private jet tracking data is already public, and Sweeney is not breaking any laws by posting it, all he is doing is making it more accessible to the public.
Sweeney is continuing to published Taylor Swift's flight data, and said that, "Her team thinks they can control the world."
It is unlikely Swift's team will be able to successfully sue Jack Sweeney, as Sweeney is only using public info and not in violation of any laws.