| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| | [[File:Aaron Swartz.jpg|right|300px]] | | [[File:Aaron Swartz.jpg|right|300px]] |
| − | '''Aaron H. Swartz''' (1986 – 2013) was a Internet entrepreneur, programmer, civil activist, and co-creator of [[Reddit]]<ref>http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-rdfcore-wg/2001Apr/0062.html</ref>. Swartz was notable for his achievements with the RSS Standard, and the creation of widely used web framework, web.py. He also founded the organization, Demand Progress, notable for it's work against SOPA and other copyright organizations. On January 6, 2013, Swartz was arrested in connection with the illegal downloading and sharing of hundreds of thousands of academic documents from JSTOR, to protest the highly exclusive nature of the academic world. Swartz had opposed the practice of compensating big businesses and corporations for the works, instead of the authors, through the fees exacted on it's users, mostly poorer academics. On January 11, it was found that Mr. Swartz had hung himself in his apartment. <ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57563656/co-founder-of-reddit-aaron-swartz-found-dead/</ref> | + | '''Aaron H. Swartz''' (1986 – 2013) was a Internet entrepreneur, programmer, civil activist, and co-creator of [[Reddit]].<ref>http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-rdfcore-wg/2001Apr/0062.html</ref> Swartz was notable for his achievements with the RSS Standard, and the creation of widely used web framework, web.py. He also founded the organization, Demand Progress, notable for it's work against SOPA and other copyright organizations. On January 6, 2013, Swartz was arrested in connection with the illegal downloading and sharing of hundreds of thousands of academic documents from JSTOR, to protest the highly exclusive nature of the academic world. Swartz had opposed the practice of compensating big businesses and corporations for the works, instead of the authors, through the fees exacted on it's users, mostly poorer academics. On January 11, it was found that Mr. Swartz had hung himself in his apartment.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57563656/co-founder-of-reddit-aaron-swartz-found-dead/</ref> |
| | | | |
| | == Life and Works == | | == Life and Works == |
| Line 17: |
Line 17: |
| | On July 19, 2011, Aaron Swartz was charged by Carmen Ortiz (a United States attorney), for wire fraud, computer fraud, unlawfully accessing a protected computer, and recklessly damaging a protected computer (JSTOR declined to pursue the case <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/technology/aaron-swartz-internet-activist-dies-at-26.html?_r=0 Internet Activist, a Creator of RSS, Is Dead at 26, .]</ref>). This was due to Swartz attaching a laptop computer, to the MIT network, and using it's internal LAN to download a large number of papers, with the intent of making it available on publicly accessible websites, such as [[The Pirate Bay]]. The government prosecution argued that what Swartz did was indeed stealing. | | On July 19, 2011, Aaron Swartz was charged by Carmen Ortiz (a United States attorney), for wire fraud, computer fraud, unlawfully accessing a protected computer, and recklessly damaging a protected computer (JSTOR declined to pursue the case <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/technology/aaron-swartz-internet-activist-dies-at-26.html?_r=0 Internet Activist, a Creator of RSS, Is Dead at 26, .]</ref>). This was due to Swartz attaching a laptop computer, to the MIT network, and using it's internal LAN to download a large number of papers, with the intent of making it available on publicly accessible websites, such as [[The Pirate Bay]]. The government prosecution argued that what Swartz did was indeed stealing. |
| | {{cquote|Stealing is stealing, whether you use a computer command or a crowbar, and whether you take documents, data or dollars.|Carmen Ortiz, federal prosecutor}} | | {{cquote|Stealing is stealing, whether you use a computer command or a crowbar, and whether you take documents, data or dollars.|Carmen Ortiz, federal prosecutor}} |
| − | At trial, he faced a total of 35 years imprisonment. <ref>http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/01/13/the-brilliant-mind-righteous-heart-of-aaron-swartz-will-be-missed/</ref> | + | At trial, he faced a total of 35 years imprisonment.<ref>http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/01/13/the-brilliant-mind-righteous-heart-of-aaron-swartz-will-be-missed/</ref> |
| | | | |
| | ==Death== | | ==Death== |
| − | On January 11, 2013, Swartz was found dead in his Crown Heights, Brooklyn, apartment by his partner. <ref>http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/co-founder-reddit-hangs-brooklyn-apartment-article-1.1238852</ref> A spokesperson from the Coroners office stated that he had hung himself. Swartz's funeral services were scheduled for January 15, 2013, at Central Avenue Synagogue in Highland Park, Illinois. | + | On January 11, 2013, Swartz was found dead in his Crown Heights, Brooklyn, apartment by his partner.<ref>http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/co-founder-reddit-hangs-brooklyn-apartment-article-1.1238852</ref> A spokesperson from the Coroners office stated that he had hung himself. Swartz's funeral services were scheduled for January 15, 2013, at Central Avenue Synagogue in Highland Park, Illinois. |
| | | | |
| | == External links == | | == External links == |
| Line 27: |
Line 27: |
| | *[http://www.aaronsw.com/ Aaron Swartz: weblog - twitter - links - quotes.] | | *[http://www.aaronsw.com/ Aaron Swartz: weblog - twitter - links - quotes.] |
| | | | |
| − | ==Reference== | + | ==References== |
| | {{reflist}} | | {{reflist}} |
| | [[Category:Activism]][[Category:Entrepreneurs]] | | [[Category:Activism]][[Category:Entrepreneurs]] |