Britney Spears’ father allegedly kept track of her texts, phone calls, and browsing activity
According to explosive revelations in a new documentary, Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, had so much control over the pop star’s life that he even monitored her text messages, phone conversations, and internet browser history.
In “The New York Times Presents: Controlling Britney Spears,” which premiered Friday on FX and Hulu, a former member of Britney’s security team claimed that he was once asked to “put parental controls” on the cellphone that the “Toxic” singer had to beg to get under the conservatorship that has restricted her life for the past 13 years.
“Britney wanted to get an iPhone … and that was a big deal. Everybody was worried,” said Alex Vlasov, who worked at Black Box Security from 2012 to 2021.
“[My boss] Edan [Yemini] approached me and asked me, ‘Is there any monitoring services for an iPhone that you are aware of?’ And I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ And he’s like, ‘Well, parental controls. Is there any way you can put parental controls on an iPhone?’” Vlasov alleged. “And that’s when Edan explained to me that Britney’s communication is monitored for her own security and protection.”
Vlasov was so troubled by Yemini’s request that he immediately inquired “about the legality” of spying on Britney’s phone, according to Vlasov.
“[Edan] said, ‘Yes, the court is aware of this. Britney’s lawyer is aware of this. This is for her safety. It’s for her protection,’” he recalled. “And then Robin [Greenhill of Britney’s management team at Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group] came up with the idea of, ‘Why don’t we just take an iPad, sign in with an iCloud [account] on there, the same iCloud that Britney would use on her phone, and that would mirror all activity?’ You would be able to see all messages, all FaceTime calls, notes, browser history, photographs.”
“Their reason for monitoring was looking for bad influence, looking for potential illegal activity that might happen, but they would also monitor conversations with her friends, with her mom, with her lawyer Sam Ingham. If there’s anybody that should be off limits, it should be Britney’s lawyer,” Vlasov said.
According to Vlasov, the team did exactly that, allowing Jamie and Greenhill complete access to review anything Britney did on her phone.
He claimed that the iPad that was reportedly used to duplicate the Grammy winner’s chats was kept in a secure location.
“Their reason for monitoring was looking for bad influence, looking for potential illegal activity that might happen, but they would also monitor conversations with her friends, with her mom, with her lawyer Sam Ingham. If there’s anybody that should be off limits, it should be Britney’s lawyer,” Vlasov said.
While “mirroring text messages without the consent of both parties could be a violation of the law” in California, where Britney lives, it is unclear whether “the court knew about or had approved any text-message monitoring,” according to an onscreen message in the documentary.
Jamie’s lawyer, Vivian Lee Thoreen, claimed that her client’s “actions were done with the knowledge and consent of Britney, her court-appointed attorney, and/or the court” in a statement.
“Black Box have always conducted themselves within professional, ethical, and legal bounds, and they are particularly proud of their work in keeping Ms. Spears safe for many years,” an attorney for Yemini stated.
The charges in the film, according to a lawyer representing Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group, are “false.”
“Intercepting or monitoring Britney’s communications, especially sacrosanct attorney-client communications, represents a shameful and shocking violation of her privacy rights and civil liberties,” Britney’s new attorney, Mathew Rosengart, said.
Rosengart also stated that he intended to “investigate these matters thoroughly and aggressively.”
Britney, 39, has been in conservatorship since 2008, and during an emotional court appearance this summer, she described the arrangement as “abusive.”