Making it clear that privacy is a top priority, Taylor Swift has slammed a social media user with a cease-and-desist for tracking her jet.
According to the Washington Post, Jack Sweeney, a University of Central Florida junior, has been running accounts of flight logs for planes and helicopters. All of which are owned by billionaires, politicians, and other public figures. The account is said to use publicly available data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The accounts also used info from volunteer hobbyists who track aircraft using signals they broadcast.
It was reported that in December 2023, Taylor Swift’s attorney at the Washington law firm Venable sent Sweeney a cease-and-desist letter. The letter stated that the pop icon would “have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies” if he did not stop his “stalking and harassing behavior.”
The letter also states that Sweeney’s tracking has caused Swift and her family “direct and irreparable” harm. It was noted “emotional and physical distress” as well. It also heightened Swift’s “constant state of fear for her personal safety.”
“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,” Taylor Swift’s attorney stated.
There is “no legitimate interest in or public need for this information,” the letter reads. “Other than to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control.”
Taylor Swift Experienced a Stalker Situation Outside Her New York City Home
The legal actions against Sweeney came just weeks before a stalker of Taylor Swift entered her New York City home. TMZ reported that the New York City Department received a “disorderly person” call at Taylor Swift’s building in mid-January.
“Upon arrival, [police] were informed that the individual attempted to open a door to a building at the location,” the public information officer stated. An eyewitness revealed that the alleged stalker went up to Taylor Swift’s door. “I’m not sure if he knocked or rang the doorbell.”
The man, later identified as David Crowe of Seattle, was apprehended. He was faced with charges of harassment and stalking. The NYPD issued a statement about the incident.
“Officers were approached by multiple complainants who pointed out an emotionally disturbed male acting erratically at the location,” the statement reads. “Once officers observed the male harassing multiple complainants, they took him to custody without further incidents, no injuries were reported.”
Taylor Swift previously spoke about her concerns about stalkers. “Over the past couple of years, it’s got worse,” She told Cosmopolitan UK in 2012. “I get told if there’s been an attempt or a threat. I have an amazing security team.”
Among her notorious stalkers are Hanks Johnson, Eric Swarbrick, and Julius Sandrock.