Opinion — We deserve to know about Taylor Swift’s Jet

The singer has threatened to sue a student for sharing the take-off and landing details of her private jet. But the information is already publicly available, and so it should be.

After student Jack Sweeney began sharing the whereabouts and routes of celebrity private jets online, he established a dedicated following. His audience were united by one thing; their hatred of unnecessarily short private flights, taken by the world’s ultra-rich at the expense of the environment.

Then, Taylor Swift threatened Sweeney with legal action. Given the information he’s sharing is already publicly available through the Federal Aviation Administration, it was inevitable his following — and the wider internet community — would fire at Swift with both barrels.

According to her attorneys, Sweeney’s actions were causing Swift anxiety and creating a ‘life-or-death’ situation for the singer. But while privacy is undoubtedly a human right — and one which shouldn’t be revoked once a person becomes famous — the environmental impact of grotesque wealth is, fundamentally, a ‘life-or-death’ situation for us all.