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Taylor Swift has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a college student who runs a Twitter account that tracks the flight paths and carbon emissions of her private jet.
The account, @SwiftEmissions, is run by Sweeney, a junior at the University of Central Florida, who has a passion for aviation and environmentalism. He has also created similar accounts for other celebrities, billionaires, politicians and public figures, such as @MuskEmissions, @BezosEmissions and @BidenEmissions.
Sweeney uses publicly available data from websites such as FlightAware and Flightradar24 to track the movements of the planes and helicopters owned or chartered by the famous people. He then calculates the estimated carbon dioxide emissions of each flight using online tools such as Carbon Footprint and MyClimate.
According to his tweets, Swift’s jet, a Dassault Falcon 900, has emitted more than 1,200 metric tons of CO2 since January 2020, equivalent to the annual emissions of 260 cars. He also claims that Swift has flown more than 150,000 miles in the past two years, visiting destinations such as London, Tokyo, New York and Nashville.
Sweeney says he started the accounts to raise awareness of the environmental impact of flying and to encourage people to offset their emissions or choose greener alternatives. He says he is not trying to shame or harass anyone, but rather to inform and educate the public.
However, Swift’s attorneys in Washington do not see it that way. They sent Sweeney a letter on Monday, saying the pop superstar, 34, would have “no choice but to pursue any and all legal remedies” if he did not stop his “stalking and harassing behavior”, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The letter accuses Sweeney of violating Swift’s privacy and trademark rights, as well as misrepresenting her environmental efforts. It also demands that he delete his account and all his tweets, and refrain from posting anything about Swift in the future.
Sweeney says he was shocked and scared when he received the letter, but he is not backing down. He says he has consulted with a lawyer and plans to continue his account, as he believes he is exercising his right to free speech and fair use.
He also says he is a fan of Swift’s music and does not mean any harm to her. He says he hopes she will reconsider her legal threat and instead join him in promoting climate action and carbon neutrality.
“I respect Taylor Swift as an artist and a person, but I also think she has a responsibility to use her influence and wealth for good,” Sweeney says. “I hope she will see that I am not a stalker or a hater, but a fellow citizen who cares about the planet and wants to make a difference.”
