‘Rot in Jail’: Taylor Swift Fans Angrily Attack Jack Sweeney
Using a variety of social media platforms, Jack Sweeney has documented the arrivals and departures of planes owned by public figures and celebrities, such as Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and the Jenner sisters, Kim and Kylie.
His accounts were well-known two years prior, when Russia began invading Ukraine in February 2022, after he began tracking the private planes of Russian billionaires. In view of the ongoing criticism directed towards public figures for the environmental effects of their opulent travels, Sweeney has also disclosed the approximate carbon footprints of flights.
It was then discovered that Sweeney had been tracking the ultra-wealthy people’s private flights using easily accessible aeronautical telemetry on the ADS-B website, in addition to a complex algorithm he had created to match transponder frequencies and independently available anonymous flight plans.
Sweeney, 21, made news in late 2022 when he and billionaire Elon Musk got into a public altercation over Sweeney’s tracking of Musk’s private jet. Musk later banned Sweeney’s ElonJet account on X, formerly Twitter, following their argument.
Swift is an even more well-known opponent for Sweeney; in a cease-and-desist letter, Swift’s attorneys called his behavior “reckless.” Additionally, according to the attorneys, Swift “lives in a constant state of fear for her personal safety.” A man was taken into custody last month for allegedly following Swift.
The letter that the lawyers sent to Sweeney was shared by the student with NBC News. “While this may be a game for you or an avenue that you hope will earn you wealth or fame, it is a life-or-death matter,” the lawyers wrote.
Swift’s attorneys charged Sweeney with “stalking and harassing behavior” in the letter, but Sweeney told NBC News that the goal of his accounts is to offer “transparency.” Sweeney added that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides data that is accessible to the general public.
“I think it’s important to note that nowhere do I intend for harm, I simply share the facts,” Sweeney said to NBC News. “I actually think Swift has some good songs.”
But it doesn’t seem like Swift’s “Swifties,” or supporters, thought Sweeney’s explanation was sufficient. Regarding Swift’s use of a private jet, fans went to one of Sweeney’s recent articles on X to express their opinions.
“Check out the FAA’s registration documentation for N898TS and N621MM that arrived in the mail today. Alongside images of the paperwork he obtained from the FAA through the Freedom of Information Act, Sweeney stated, “It includes Taylor Swift signing off on N898TS.”
One X user responded to the message with, “Hope you rot in jail.”Another person told Sweeney, “You’re obsessed with [Swift].” “You track planes that aren’t even registered in her name on your page, leading one to wonder if she’s there.”
“Interesting fact: To find out about other celebs, simply look up their names on STALKER. You are a stalker hiding behind your environmentalist façade.”Someone else expressed the opinion that it is “indefensible to post Taylor Swift’s location in real time knowing full well that she has dangerous stalkers.” Without disclosing Taylor’s whereabouts, Jack could monitor carbon emissions.”
Musk added his voice to the discussion, saying in response to a different post that Sweeney “is an awful human being.” Taylor Swift has valid concerns.Retaliating, Sweeney cited Musk’s $5,000 offer that was turned down by the billionaire to remove his ElonJet account.
“Remember that you gave me $5,000 to stop,” Sweeney remarked. “Also threatened to sue me, and here we are a year later.” In an apparent attempt to get the Tesla CEO’s notice, he tagged Musk in a follow-up post.
Reacting to Musk’s X tweet once more, Sweeney shared a screenshot of a November Business Insider piece describing how a singer “resorted to tracking Elon Musk’s private jets in attempt to serve him with custody papers.” With Musk, Grimes has three children. Sweeney commented, “So now we know why,” under the screenshot.
For comments, Newsweek emailed Swift, Musk, and Sweeney’s agents. Although Sweeney received criticism from certain quarters, some X users also voiced support for him. “Aircraft registrations are completely public information,” stated a single post. There are no laws broken. The FAA will send you a CD with the information if you just pay an administrative fee (just a few bucks).
Another said, “When you get a private plane, your flights become public information,” echoing that sentiment. Another, seeing both sides of the debate, said that Sweeney “should carry on with his work but postpone disclosing her whereabouts until after she has left the area or until a moment when it is safe to do so. His focus ought to be on the pollution.”
Even though Sweeney has kept up some flight information accounts on other social media sites, he has circumvented X’s prohibition on live tracking celebrity flights by providing updates on Musk and Swift’s journeys with a 24-hour delay.