Shocking new details surrounding Britney Spears’ conservatorship have come to light in a new documentary.
The singer is in the midst of a legal battle to have the 13-year-long arrangement removed from her life, after admitting it had left her “traumatised” and “depressed”.
It was the subject of New York Times documentary ‘Framing Britney Spears’, which premiered earlier this year, and in the follow-up ‘Controlling Britney Spears’, it is claimed the Toxic star had her phone tapped and home bugged.
Alex Vlasov, who worked for Black Box Security from 2012 to 2021, said: “Britney wanted to get an iPhone… and that was a big deal. Everybody was worried.
“[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?’
“And that’s when Edan explained to me that Britney’s communication is monitored for her own security and protection.”
Although Alex questioned “the legality” of the request, he was reportedly told the court was “aware” of the set-up, which eventually led to Britney’s phone being cloned onto an iPad, which was kept in a safe.
He continued: “[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’.
“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 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 mum, with her lawyer Sam Ingham. If there’s anybody that should be off limits, it should be Britney’s lawyer.”
Representatives from Tri Star Sports & Entertainment group slammed the allegations as “false”, but Jamie’s lawyer, Vivian Lee Thoreen, insisted his actions “were done with the knowledge and consent of Britney, her court-appointed attorney and/or the court.”
Edan’s lawyer said: “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.”
Britney’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart has called for the conservatorship to be terminated without any further medical evaluation, insisting she clearly has the “capacity and capability” to “identify, engage, and instruct counsel of her own choice”.
The Toxic singer has been fighting to remove her father Jamie from his controlling role as conservator while seeking an end to the overall conservatorship.