Taylor Swift threatens to sue student who monitored her private plane pollution

Taylor Swift's lawyers have threatened to sue a college student from the US state of Florida, known for running social media accounts that monitor the private plane flights of several celebrities, including the singer.

For many years Jack Sweeney has kept numerous accounts revealing the take-offs and landings of private planes owned by Russian millionaires, politicians, oligarchs and other public figures, as well as estimates of the emissions of polluting gases resulting from these flights.

To do this, it uses data published by the North American Federal Aviation Administration and volunteers who monitor the plane through the signals it sends. In addition to Taylor Swift, the travels of Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, among other figures, have been followed.

At the end of 2022, Sweeney’s pages sparked controversy over freedom of expression, after the young man was expelled from X Company (formerly Twitter) due to his sharing of what the owner of the social media network, Elon Musk, called “the coordinates of a murder,” even though it was detailed information and it was not revealed who was traveling. on aboard of the plane.

In December, Taylor Swift's defense team sent the IT student an extrajudicial notice, stating that if “the harassing and harassing behavior does not cease,” Swift would have “no other option but to resort to legal action.”

Attorney Katie Wright Moroney said, according to the letter sent to Jack Sweeney's address, that Jack Sweeney's recordings caused the singer and her family “direct and irreparable harm, as well as physical and psychological distress” and exacerbated “ongoing fear for their safety.” Parents of Sweeney with whom he shared the young man Washington Post.

“While this may seem like a game to you, or a way to gain fame or money, for our clients it is a matter of life and death,” Morrone wrote. “There is no legitimate interest or public need for this information other than to stalk, harass, and impose dominance and control.”

The pop star systematically dealt with stalkers who showed up on her doorstep, the lawyer added. One of them is now facing stalking and harassment charges after he was arrested last month outside Taylor Swift's home in Manhattan.

Asked if Taylor Swift's defense had any evidence that Stalkers The information Sweeney posted was used to reach the singer. Swift's publicist Trey Payne said: “We cannot comment on any ongoing police investigation, but we can confirm that the coincidental timing suggests a link. His posts tell us exactly when and where she will do this.” He is.”

Swift is among the celebrities who contribute the most to carbon dioxide emissions

Sweeney (21 years old) said. Washington Post Who saw the message as an attempt to discourage him from sharing publicly available data. Her posts only allow us to infer which cities Swift might be in at the moment, just as we would if we reviewed her concert calendar or which NFL games she might be attending.

Furthermore, the letter was sent to her at a time when Swift was facing a wave of criticism over it Environmental impact He refers to her travels. He defended that “this information is already circulating.” “Her team thinks they can take over the world.”

Travel on private jets is constantly criticized for its “disproportionately high” impact on public health Climate change Sweeney's leaflets were used to name and condemn the most famous passengers. In 2022 your accounts Connected They are cited in the analysis that considered SWIFT “The most polluting celebrities” year, taking into account the size of carbon dioxide emissions carbon.

His advisor at the time told… the post The analysis was incorrect, as the plane was often loaned to other people. Trey Pain said this week that the artist received more than double the “carbon credits” needed to offset carbon dioxide emissions. Global Warming Issued to travel on your next tour.

At the time that Jack Sweeney received the extrajudicial notification, Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, deactivated the accounts that the young man had created to follow Taylor Swift's travels, claiming that they violated the rules of privacy on social media. The university student began posting these updates again on other accounts, and last month he received a second message in which his actions were considered “harassment.”

Swift's defense also states that Sweeney “was known to disregard the safety of others in exchange for attention and/or financial gain.”

But the young American asked for help from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting rights and freedoms Connected. Attorney James Slater responded to the letter on Sweeney's behalf, claiming that attorney Katie Wright Moroney failed to provide any legal basis, and that Trip information They pose “no threat” to Swift's safety and do not violate “any of her rights.”

“This is not about putting a GPS tracker on someone and violating their privacy,” James Slater insisted in an interview. “It's about using public information to track a public personal plane.” “This is an attempt to hide a PR issue and intimidate my client to stop negative publicity.”

Neither Katie Wright Moroney nor Meta responded to his request for clarification Washington Post.

Exclusively from Publico/The Washington Post

Translated by Carolina Amado