The Internet Has Lost a Giant
26-year old Aaron Swartz, co-founder of Reddit and the guy who developed the RSS protocol at age 14, took his own life on Friday. He was admittedly depressed, and was facing up to 35 years in prison and $1 million in fines in one of the most egregious cases of prosecutorial zealotry in recent memory. The fight against government control of the Internet will be much more difficult without him.
“Aaron’s death is not simply a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach. Decisions made by officials in the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office and at MIT contributed to his death.”
Swartz was instrumental in defeating the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in 2011, and was a prolific hacktivist dedicated to keeping the Internet open and free from government control and intervention. He ran afoul of the Massachusetts US Attorney's office when he wrote a script to download hundreds of papers from JSTOR - a service he had legitimate access to.
In response to his suicide, MIT's website was hacked by Anonymous who posted the following:
"Whether or not the government contributed to his suicide, the government's prosecution of Swartz was a grotesque miscarriage of justice, a distorted and perverse shadow of the justice that Aaron died fighting for - freeing the publicly-funded scientific literature from a publishing system that makes it inaccessible to most of those who paid for it - enabling the collective betterment of the world through the facilitation of sharing - an ideal that we should all support."
MIT has pledged to investigate its own role in Swartz's suicide, but it is important to note that JSTOR wasn't coming after Swartz for anything and that this persecution was being led entirely by Mass. US Attorney Carmen Ortiz.
The Internet has lost one of its most creative champions, and he will be sorely missed.
Rest in peace, Aaron.






Comments
That is beyond depressing
That is beyond depressing news.
It is insane to think that even highly successful people can go through that level of stress and all for a good cause of keeping the Internet free.
WallStreetPlayboys.com
Twitter @WallStPlayboys
Get paid, Get Laid. Nothing else matters.
Here is an interesting write
Here is an interesting write up from the expert witness (on Swartz's side) for the case of US vs. Swartz . It is interesting and worth a read as the author claims complete innocence for Swartz and makes a good case for it too. Here is the link:
http://io9.com/5975592/aaron-swartz-died-innocent-...
The best paragraph (describing his alleged crime) is right here though:
"In short, Aaron Swartz was not the super hacker breathlessly described in the Government's indictment and forensic reports, and his actions did not pose a real danger to JSTOR, MIT or the public. He was an intelligent young man who found a loophole that would allow him to download a lot of documents quickly. This loophole was created intentionally by MIT and JSTOR, and was codified contractually in the piles of paperwork turned over during discovery."
The author even calls out the US Attorney for overcharging Swartz.
Worth a read, especially since he was one of the biggest hacktivists / voices for keeping the Internet government free.
RIP Aaron.
Wasn't he caught on
Wasn't he caught on surveillance cameras breaking into an MIT switching closet to retrieve hardware that he had planted to steal the files? It hardly sounds as innocent as portrayed...
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/secret-service...
Man this incident struck a
Man this incident struck a nerve, thank you for posting Eddie.
a distorted and perverse shadow of the justice that Aaron died fighting for - freeing the publicly-funded scientific literature from a publishing system that makes it inaccessible to most of those who paid for it - enabling the collective betterment of the world through the facilitation of sharing
As I see it, the knowledge belongs to the US taxpayer and the human race. I don't particularly care who slapped a flag or deed on it and intends to withhold the benefits until they generate a profit for themselves. I respect private property, I also understand the value of public property, and think the laws governing the two have been unfairly defined to favor those people making them and associated with them.
So, breaking the law is the only realistic solution. Our founding fathers were criminals, so I don't see a necessary problem with that label. If prioritizing ethics over legality is suppressed, hoist that fucking pirate flag and declare war.
This kid's death is very sad and I don't know enough to take sides. But as you can see from the way I see things, I've already kind of taken sides. Sadly, the prosecutor is an Obama appointee, so I think I'm going to jettison my support of him very rapidly as this term progresses if things like this keep happening....the dems, for a very long time, trumpeted internet freedom until they got into office, proving that they are just a bunch of power hungry crooks like anyone else.
If I'm wrong, then show me.
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
inkybinky: Wasn't he caught
Wasn't he caught on surveillance cameras breaking into an MIT switching closet to retrieve hardware that he had planted to steal the files? It hardly sounds as innocent as portrayed...
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/secret-service...
Hardly "breaking into" a switching closet when the closet wasn't even locked. At best it's trespassing, not even B&E.
I don't consider myself a futurist by any means, but I predict that if the government doesn't back the fuck off and NOW, there's going to be a digital civil war in the next 50 years.
Edmundo Braverman: I don't
I don't consider myself a futurist by any means, but I predict that if the government doesn't back the fuck off and NOW, there's going to be a digital civil war in the next 50 years.
I'm interested/scared to see what cyber warfare will eventually become in my lifetime
If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough.
"There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
Edmundo
Wasn't he caught on surveillance cameras breaking into an MIT switching closet to retrieve hardware that he had planted to steal the files? It hardly sounds as innocent as portrayed...
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/secret-service...
Hardly "breaking into" a switching closet when the closet wasn't even locked. At best it's trespassing, not even B&E.
I don't consider myself a futurist by any means, but I predict that if the government doesn't back the fuck off and NOW, there's going to be a digital civil war in the next 50 years.
Very strongly agree.
As for the kid, MIT waived its option to charge. The prosecutor took it upon herself to make a case out of this for who know what reason. Can you say "Le Mis" ?
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
RIP to another fallen yid.
RIP to another fallen yid.
This age of
This age of 'news-on-the-internet', where everybody feels the need to chime in through Facebook, is ridiculous. Seeing people arguing about whether or not Swartz committed a VIOLENT CRIME is nauseating..
I come from a long history of upping the punx, and even though I can see both sides, I think the way this case was being set up was just a tad overkill.
"That dude is so haole, he don't even have any breath left."
Though I agree that the
Though I agree that the government appears to have been overly aggressive litigating this case, I think it is equally clear that Swartz understood he was breaking the law and that he could be punished for his actions.
Either way, I believe it quite harsh to put Swartz's suicide on the conscience of state prosecutors. Internet moguls are placed under public scrutiny on a regular basis, and it is surely inappropriate to expect that opposing counsel could possibly have known that their actions might contribute to his suicide. Ultimately, Swartz missed out on his day in court, and we may never know how a judge would have ruled.
RIP Aaron, you were clearly a brilliant man destined for far more great things.
RIP, so sad. Any redditors
RIP, so sad. Any redditors on this site?
"My dear, descended from the apes! Let us hope it is not true, but if it is, let us pray that it will not become generally known."
Edmundo
Wasn't he caught on surveillance cameras breaking into an MIT switching closet to retrieve hardware that he had planted to steal the files? It hardly sounds as innocent as portrayed...
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/secret-service...
Hardly "breaking into" a switching closet when the closet wasn't even locked. At best it's trespassing, not even B&E.
I don't consider myself a futurist by any means, but I predict that if the government doesn't back the fuck off and NOW, there's going to be a digital civil war in the next 50 years.
A door doesn't need to be locked or to even have a lock to constitute breaking and entering. You just need to be entering a place that you don't have a right to be with the intent of committing a crime. He was caught red handed stealing files. Given the number of files that he stole, I don't think the prosecutor was necessarily stretching by saying that he intended to distribute them.
Now you can separately argue that the punishments are too harsh for this type of crime or that the prosecutor was too aggressive (as they sometimes are) or that these files should be free to the public to begin with. But let's not pretend that the guy didn't knowingly commit a pretty serious crime that he knew the consequences of beforehand.
What we really lost is a
What we really lost is a successful person who dedicates his wealth and resources to the betterment of society, unlike most others who just write a check to some charity here and there.
moneymogul: What we really
What we really lost is a successful person who dedicates his wealth and resources to the betterment of society, unlike most others who just write a check to some charity here and there.
Or at least his version of a better society. Let's not get carried away aggrandizing Swartz just because of this tragic event. There is a lot of grey area in the debate re: intellectual property and public domain.
Swartz decided to take matters into his own hands. And while public educators seem to be constantly cramming the virtuosity of civil disobedience down our throats, one who willingly disobeys laws of which he or she is aware must also be willing to stand the trials that are sure to follow. Swartz truly did himself a disservice here, as he was undoubtedly making progress on this issue about which he cared so deeply.
the guy was sketchy as fuck,
the guy was sketchy as fuck, what giant?
How big is yours?
Outsider: the guy was sketchy
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
Outsider: the guy was sketchy
Edmundo
Edmundo
How big is yours?
tragic. this guy looks a lot
Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
UFOinsider: Outsider: the
NorthSider: he made his own
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
This is probably the best
Here's the petition calling
pariahdog: Here's the
If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough.
"There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
JSTOR is something academia
Gun Control Discussion
RIP. Wonder if Anonymous is
______________________
Please self insert a picture of someone pulling their hair out or Glenn Beck crying. Again
barbariansatthegates: RIP.
Edmundo Braverman: This is