Taylor Swift’s attorneys are threatening legal action against a college student who runs social media accounts tracking her private jets movements – and the amount of CO2 they produce.
The 14-time Grammy award winner’s lawyers sent a letter to Jack Sweeney, 21, demanding that he stop logging her flights and locations.
Sweeney, a junior at the University of Central Florida, has run several accounts that track the flight paths of planes and helicopters owned by celebrities, billionaires, politicians and other public figures.
His accounts use publicly available data, and also share the estimates of their planet warning emissions – with the college student first going head to head with Elon Musk in 2022 for sharing his jet’s details.
In a statement to DailyMail.com Sweeney said: ‘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.’
Swift’s attorneys in Washington saying the pop superstar, 34, 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 Washington Post.
Taylor Swift’s attorneys have threatened legal action against Jack Sweeney, a junior at the University of Central Florida
Swift’s attorneys wrote Sweeney a cease-and-desist letter saying she would ‘have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies’
Authored by Katie Wright Morrone from Venable law firm, the strongly-worded cease and desist accused Sweeney of treating it like a ‘game’
Sweeney runs social media accounts that track the takeoffs and landings of private jets owned by Swifts and other celebrities, billionaires and politicians
It 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, said that there was no ‘legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control.’
Authored by Katie Wright Morrone from Venable law firm, the strongly-worded cease and desist accused Sweeney of treating it like a ‘game’.
‘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,’ Morrone added.
Swift has seen stalkers show up outside her homes, with one man arrested last month outside her townhouse in Manhattan.
The letter from her lawyers states that there is ‘no legitimate interest in or public need for this information, other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control.’
A spokesperson for Swift said they cannot comment on ongoing police investigations, but confirmed that the timing of the most recent arrest ‘suggests a connection’.
‘His posts tell you exactly when and where she would be,’ they added.
Sweeney believes that the letter is an attempt to scare him from sharing public data, adding that he was ‘being more careful’ with what he shared about the pop star.
The letter came in December, around the time Sweeney’s accounts tracking Swift’s jets on Facebook and Instagram were disabled. A second letter followed, accusing him of ‘harassing’ the star.
He said that the threats of legal action came at a time where Swift was facing a huge backlash over the environmental impacts of her flights while on the road for her Era’s Tour and also jetting across the US to watch her new beau Travis Kelce play in the NFL.
‘This information is already out there, her team thinks they can control the world’, Sweeney said.
Swift, 34, has been under pressure to cut down on her carbon emissions after jet-setting across the US to spend time with Kansas Chief’s tight end Kelce, 34, while also performing the international leg of her Era’s tour.
While many have called on the star to cut down on her travel, it is unlikely that the globetrotting superstar will switch to commercial flights due over security fears – with many speculating she will use charter jets instead.
After being crowned 2022’s biggest celebrity polluter of the year, her team were quick to hit back, saying that she loans her planes out and also bought double the amount of carbon emissions tokens than she needed for her touring travel.
But the singer, who announced her 13th album at Sunday night’s Grammys’, has been hit with a fresh barraged of scrutiny over her planet-warming emissions of carbon dioxide released with every flight.
Based on statistics tracked by Taylor Swift’s Jets on Instagram, the hitmaker’s trips have produced 138 tons of CO2 emission to date.
The singer would need to plant 2,282 trees and allow these to grow for 10 years in order to offset the environmental damage caused by her flights.
It is the equivalent of the energy used by 17 houses in one year, or the electricity use of 26.9 homes for one year, according to the Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
Swift has been hit with a fresh barraged of scrutiny over her planet-warming emissions of carbon dioxide released with every flight. She’s pictured on her private jet
Sweeney believes that the letter is an attempt to scare him from sharing public data, adding that he was ‘being more careful’ with what he shared about the pop star
Swift, 34, has been under pressure to cut down on her carbon emissions after jet-setting across the US to spend time with Kansas Chief’s tight end Kelce, 34, while also performing the international leg of her Era’s tour. Taylor’s private jet is pictured
His accounts use publicly available data, and also share the estimates of their planet warning emissions – with the college student first going head to head with Elon Musk in 2022 for sharing his jet’s details
The star has not confirmed if she will attend the Super Bowl.
Whether or not she is comforting Kelce after loss or celebrating the Chiefs back-to-back Super Bowl wins, Swift has to cross the globe again and be in five days later to continue her Eras Tour.
San Francisco and Kansas City will meet in the Super Bowl for the second time this decade, with the Chiefs winning Super Bowl LIV in 2020.
The Bad Blood singer is scheduled to head to and take the stage in Melbourne on February 16, which starts at 6pm.
She’ll perform for three nights at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds then head to Sydney’s Accor Stadium for four shows starting on February 23.
After coming out on top in the 2022 pollution rankings, Taylor’s representative hit back, claiming Swift often lets other people take her Falcon 7X jet on jaunts around the world.
However, there is no question she has been onboard the jet during the many flights between Kansas City, New York and several other stops since September.
The journeys have used up 12,622 gallons of jet fuel, which is calculated to be worth a whopping $70,779.
In her biggest trip to date, Swift flew from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Kansas City – with a stopover in Tampa, Florida.
The journey used 4,151 gallons of fuel, which is believed to be worth $23, 250.
A spokesperson for Swift told DailyMail.com she was working to lessen her jets’ carbon emissions by traveling less frequently than in previous years.
‘Before the tour kicked off in March of 2023, Taylor purchased more than double the carbon credits needed to offset all tour travel,’ the spokesperson explained.
The excess credits means Taylor could have accounted for more than enough to cover her latest romance springing up in the middle of her sell-out tour, with her trips to support Kelce upping her carbon emissions alongside her planned tour travels.