Jasmine McNealy, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Media Production, Management, and Technology associate professor, is quoted in “Taylor Swift Doesn’t Want People Tracking Her Private Jet. Here’s Why It’s Legal” published in USA Today on Feb. 7.

The article focuses on Taylor Swift’s threat to pursue legal action against Jack Sweeney, a college student who tracks her private plane using publicly available information and posts its whereabouts on social media. In the U.S., aircraft data is legally available for real-time tracking, but the same data can also be obtained by anyone looking to follow private planes with celebrities and other public figures.

According to McNealy, “While there may be valid safety concerns from celebrity private-jet users, Sweeney’s posts and the operation of flight tracking websites don’t have the malicious intent required to be considered stalking or doxxing.”

“What the student has done here is make [public information] more visible,” said McNealy. “The rapid development of technology has made it easier to collect and share information that may have always been publicly available but harder to find, drawing the ire of some public figures.”

Posted: February 13, 2024
Category: College News
Tagged as: Doxxing, Jasmine McNealy, MPMT, Stalking, Taylor Swift, USA Today