Digital Activist Aaron Swartz Found Dead

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Digital Activist Aaron Swartz Found Dead

By CircleID Reporter
January 12, 2013, 7:11 pm PST Views: 6,865 Add Comment

Aaron H. Swartz, a computer activist, co-founder of Reddit and co-author of the “RSS 1.0” specification, died in New York on Friday. Swartz, 26 years of age, committed suicide in New York City on Jan. 11, according to his uncle, Michael Wolf, in a comment to The Tech. “Swartz was indicted in July 2011 by a federal grand jury for allegedly downloading millions of documents from JSTOR through the MIT network—using a laptop hidden in a basement network closet in MIT’s Building 16—with the intent to distribute them. Swartz subsequently moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he then worked for Avaaz Foundation, a nonprofit ‘global web movement to bring people-powered politics to decision-making everywhere.’ Swartz appeared in court on Sept. 24, 2012 and pleaded not guilty.”

By CircleID Reporter

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