[governance] Sad death of Aaron Schwartz

[James S. Tyre]

Among many others:

 

Brewster Kahle - http://blog.archive.org/2013/01/12/aaron-swartz-hero-of-the-open-world-rip/

 

Larry Lessig - http://lessig.tumblr.com/post/40347463044/prosecutor-as-bully

 

James Grimmelmann - http://laboratorium.net/archive/2013/01/12/aaron_swartz_was_26

 

Carl Malamud - https://public.resource.org/aaron/ (Incredibly elegant in its stark simplicity.)

 

Danny O’Brien - http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/2013/01/12/he-was-funny/

 

Quinn Norton - http://www.quinnnorton.com/said/?p=644

 

(Danny and Quinn both talk about Ada, the daughter they had when they were married.  Aaron, being barely more than a child himself, had a childlike relationship with Ada.)

 

--

James S. Tyre

Law Offices of James S. Tyre

10736 Jefferson Blvd., #512

Culver City, CA 90230-4969

310-839-4114/310-839-4602(fax)

jstyre at jstyre.com

Policy Fellow, Electronic Frontier Foundation

https://www.eff.org

 

From: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org [mailto:governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org] On Behalf Of Ian Peter
Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 5:52 PM
To: Ian Peter; governance at lists.igcaucus.org
Subject: Re: [governance] Sad death of Aaron Schwartz

 

sorry for two typos – both different 

 

I should have been saying Aaron Swartz. 

 

There is widespread grief and feeling about this and doubtless we will hear more as the news spreads and is digested.

 

 

 

From: Ian Peter <mailto:ian.peter at ianpeter.com>  

Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2013 7:44 AM

To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org 

Subject: [governance] Sad death of Aaron Schwartz

 

I am posting below a few links reporting on the sad death by suicide of young Internet activist, Aaron Schwatrz.  Aaron was a complex figure who made very substantial contributions to the Internet, including the initial RSS specification, Reddit, and the founding of Creative Commons,  and who suffered from depression. Cory Doctorow reports on that here.

 

http://boingboing.net/2013/01/12/rip-aaron-swartz.html

 

 

Aaron had been indicted in US for 13 counts of felony, and faced a long imprisonment term, for releasing articles from academic journals to the public domain. Last September, Tim Berners-Lee commented on the severity of these charges as follows

 

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/09/feds-go-overboard-in-prosecuting-information-activist/

 

And in recent hours Electronic Frontier Foundation has posted the following

 

 

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/01/farewell-aaron-swartz

 

 

“Moreover, the situation Aaron found himself in highlights the injustice of U.S. computer crime laws, and particularly their punishment regimes. Aaron's act was undoubtedly political activism, and taking such an act in the physical world would, at most, have a meant he faced light penalties akin to trespassing as part of a political protest. Because he used a computer, he instead faced long-term incarceration. “

 

This is a sad time. Although the laws are not directly responsible for his death, It is very sad that an already complex person of great individual brilliance found his life further complicated by reactive laws. 

 

Thank you Aaron Schwartz for your contribution to the Internet and to internet freedom.

 

Ian Peter

  _____  

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