Benzinga - by Aaron Bry, Benzinga Editor.
Jack Sweeney, a University of Central Florida student, first gained national attention through his social media accounts tracking Elon Musk’s private jet usage. Musk responded by suspending Sweeney’s Twitter account, saying that doxxing real-time locations was prohibited.
But, Sweeney continued posting Musk’s private flight information on other social media sites like Instagram and Threads. Sweeney, who uses public information and an automated system to run his flight-tracking posts, also has accounts tracking the private jet usage of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump and Taylor Swift.
Basically: Like Musk, Swift’s team appeared not to be thrilled with Sweeney’s flight-tracking hobby. The pop star’s team sent Sweeney a letter threatening legal action if he continued posting her flight data, Sweeney told Benzinga in an email this week.
The letter was sent in December, according to The Washington Post.
“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,” an attorney reportedly said in the letter.
Sweeney said that within hours of receiving the letter, his accounts on Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) apps — Threads, Instagram and Facebook — were suspended.
Sweeney told Benzinga this week that he believes this is a sign that Swift’s team also contacted Meta and was able to convince the company to remove his accounts. Sweeney’s accounts that tracked Swift’s flights are no longer findable on Instagram or Threads, but the ones tracking Musk, Trump and other celebrities still are.
Benzinga contacted Meta Platforms via email for comment on this story and did not receive a response.
Benzinga has also contacted Swift's representatives for comment and did not receive a response.
Read Also: 'Taylor Swift Right To Be Concerned:' Elon Musk Calls Celebrity Jet Tracker 'Awful Human Being'
Quoted: “In conclusion, from what I know, they provided an 'exception' to suspend only her jet tracking account,” Sweeney said.
When Musk first went after Sweeney’s accounts in 2022, Sweeney posted real-time flight data. Now, at least for his X.com accounts that track Musk’s and Swift’s flights, he posts the flight information on a 24-hour delay, adhering to X’s policy about real-time location doxxing. Sweeney’s account tracking Swift’s flights is still live on X.com.
Swift’s jet usage has been a topic of discussion recently, as fans wonder if the superstar will be able to travel from her "Eras Tour" concert on Feb. 10 in Japan to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas the following day.
Swift also reportedly sold one of her private jets in the last few weeks. Many people have been critical of Swift’s jet usage, as her flight times and fuel consumption tops the list of many celebrities that frequently fly privately, including Musk, according to a 2022 Washington Post report.
Read Next: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce Offered Cannabis-Themed Wedding Over Super Bowl LVIII Weekend
Photo via Shutterstock.
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