‘Look what you made me do:’ UCF student pushes back against Taylor Swift legal threats

Jack Sweeney releases attorney letter in response to threats from Swift’s legal team

FILE - Taylor Swift arrives at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. A woman who was previously warned to stay away from Swift's home in Rhode Island was arrested Monday outside the beachfront property, police said. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) (Jordan Strauss, Associated Press)

ORLANDO, Fla. – A University of Central Florida student who was threatened by Taylor Swift’s legal team is now pushing back, according to the student’s social media page.

In December, the student — Jack Sweeney — reportedly received a cease-and-desist letter from Swift’s legal team due to Sweeney tracking and posting the activity of Swift’s private jet online.

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Swift’s attorney initially wrote Sweeney, saying that Swift would “have no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies” if Sweeney didn’t stop. The attorney explained that publishing the information could end up with Swift being harmed by stalkers.

“We are aware of your public disputes with other high-profile individuals and your tactics in those interactions, including offering to stop your harmful behavior only in exchange for items of value,” the letter reads. “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.”

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On Tuesday, Sweeney posted a letter from his own attorney, which says that Swift’s legal team failed to “identify any legal claim” and that Sweeney’s actions are protected forms of speech.

Along with the letter, Sweeney posted a line from one of Swift’s pop songs: “Look What You Made Me Do.”

“Your letter’s tone of alarm is unfounded,” the letter says. “Our clients’ website only provides the location of private jets using publicly available information. That information poses no threat to Ms. Swift’s safety.”

Aside from Swift, Sweeney has tracked aircraft owned by celebrities like Elon Musk, Drake, Jeff Bezos and Tom Cruise — among several others. He used public data released by the Federal Aviation Administration to track these aircraft and the signals they broadcast.

In 2022, Musk threatened legal action against Sweeney over similar concerns, leading to Sweeney’s Twitter account being suspended, reinstated and then suspended once again.

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