Jack Sweeney, Taylor Swift and private jet tracking, Is it legal?

With X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk banning accounts that allegedly shared the whereabouts of his private jet, a similar issue hit American pop star Taylor Swift, leaving users with one question. Is it legal for people to track a private jet? 

According to USA Today, aircraft data including live tracking is available legally across the USA with experts claiming that it’s “critical for safety and efficiency”. Similar to how people could track commercial flights through Google and internet websites, the same goes for private jets including Elon Musk and Taylor Swift’s.

Taylor Swift and private jet tracking, Is it legal?

Big celebrities like Swift and Musk are not compliant with the open tracking of their private jets, because they might be concerned that the public will use it maliciously “to stalk, harass, and exert dominion and control” such as college student Jack Sweeney, according to the Washington Post.

Obsessive fans such as Sweeney could put celebrities like Musk and Swift in a pinch by openly sharing their information as experts agreed with the two celebrities that they are valid for being concerned.

Taylor Swift is not the only one on Sweeny’s list

Jack Sweeney is known for having several social media accounts where he tracks several jets belonging to celebrities, billionaires Russian oligarchs, and politicians with some of his accounts even measuring the jets’ carbon footprint!

The individual’s information doesn’t come from a specific source of information, but instead from several public ones by the Federal Aviation Administration for example. such information is defined as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast. This kind of data tells people when the airplane departs and lands but not who’s on it.

In a recent article by the New York Post, Taylor Swift announced selling one of her private jets after news circulated on the internet about people tracking her and the plane.

According to the Federal Aviation Authority, Taylor parted ways with her private jet on Jan. 30, 2024, with Business Insider adding that the jet is now registered to a 2006 Missouri-based company.