JACK SWEENEY, THE STUDENT WHO MADE HEADLINES FOR TRACKING ELON MUSK’S PRIVATE JET, STRIKES AGAIN
In 2022, Jack Sweeney gained notoriety when Elon Musk personally asked him to stop tracking and sharing information about his private jet. However, Sweeney didn’t stop there. He turned his initial success into a series of similar accounts, tracking the private jets of various high-profile individuals, including Kylie Jenner, Vladimir Putin, and Russian oligarchs facing sanctions.
One of Sweeney’s recent targets is Taylor Swift and her 2009 Dassault Falcon 7X private jet. By compiling publicly available data on Swift’s flights and sharing it on social media, Sweeney shed light on her significant carbon footprint. This revelation earned Swift the unfortunate nickname of “the real climate criminal.”
Unsurprisingly, Swift has had enough of Sweeney’s tracking activities and the criticism from climate activists. Concerned about her personal safety due to her past experiences with stalkers, Swift’s team wrote a strongly worded letter to Sweeney. They argued that his actions amount to harassment and endangerment. In the letter, they urged him to cease his activities, delete all published data, and shut down his accounts.
Swift’s implication is clear: comply or face legal consequences. However, Sweeney is undeterred. In an interview with a media outlet, he claimed that he is doing nothing wrong or illegal. According to Sweeney, he merely gathers publicly available information and presents it to the public in the name of transparency. He insists that he has no ill intentions towards any of the celebrities he tracks, including Swift, whom he believes has a few “good” songs.
Elon Musk, who was Sweeney’s first major target, stands in solidarity with Swift. Musk previously threatened legal action against Sweeney for refusing to stop sharing his real-time location. Taking to Twitter, Musk stated that the pop star has every reason to be concerned, labeling Sweeney as “an awful human being.”
When Musk first discovered that Sweeney was tracking his private jet, he reached out to understand how he was doing it. Sweeney explained that he used data from ADS-B transponders on planes, bypassing the FAA’s privacy programs that aimed to keep flight paths private. Sweeney had access to the public ADS-B data and created bots to collect and share real-time flight paths online.
(Photo: YouTube / SNL / NBC)
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, recently found himself in a heated dispute with an individual named Sweeney. Musk allegedly offered Sweeney a sum of $5,000 to close down a certain page. However, negotiations between the two quickly deteriorated when Musk refused to increase the offer to $50,000 or a Tesla. Despite threatening legal action, Musk denies ever following through with his plans.
Interestingly, Sweeney seems undeterred by Musk’s threats. In fact, he has no intentions of shutting down the page that tracks Taylor Swift’s private jet. This has raised concerns among Swift’s fans, who worry about her safety and privacy.
In a tweet, Musk expressed his support for Swift, stating that Sweeney is an awful person. Swift herself has yet to comment on the matter.
It remains to be seen how this feud will unfold, but one thing is clear: tensions are running high between Musk and Sweeney.
