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Sunday, 13 January 2013

Internet genius, Aaron Swartz, hangs himself in his NYC apartment


26 year old Aaron Swart was found dead in his New York apartment on Friday January 11th, weeks before he was to go on trial for downloading subscription-only academic papers with the intent to distribute them.

The hacker-activist was facing federal charges, a possible sentence of 35 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Guess he couldn't take it all and so he hanged himself in his apartment in Brooklyn on Friday.
"Aaron has been depressed about his case/upcoming trial, but we had no idea what he was going through was this painful." Susan Swartz, Aaron's mother, posted on a hacker section of the Ycombinator Web site today.
  

Sample papers Swartz attempted to set free include "John Berryman: The Poetics of Martyrdom" and "Mapping the Niger, 1798-1832: Trust, Testimony and 'Ocular Demonstration' in the Late Enlightenment." On its own initiative, JSTOR, which hosts the academic papers and never pressed charges against Swartz, started offering limited free access to its archive just this week.

Two years ago, in January, 2011, Swartz was arrested for, essentially, setting information free - as an animal-rights activist might liberate a zoo. In 2008, he had thrown open PACER, a subscription-only trove of federal judicial documents. And then he had downloaded the 4.8 million articles from JSTOR. Swartz was ch arged, then, with wire fraud, computer fraud, unlawfully obtaining information from a protected computer and damaging a protected computer.
at 1/13/2013 02:10:00 pm

65 comments:

  1. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 14:17

    Its hard to understand your writing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kim13 January 2013 at 15:21

      Then go back to school, ode!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 18:30

      Its *hung himself* not *hanged himself*

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 22:22

      I too know it is hanged not hung no be clothe. Olodo

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 23:29

      'hanged himself' is correct and purely academic writing

      Delete
    5. hillz.B13 January 2013 at 23:30

      Ur english is backward hanged is correct ur english teacher was a learner

      Delete
    6. Lynnajade13 January 2013 at 23:43

      Anon6:30 hang has two past tense "hanged and hung"
      Hanged is used when talking about a method of execution but hung is used in all circumstances eg she hung the pic on the wall

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 23:45

      Na cloth u hung?

      Delete
    8. sheylee bee13 January 2013 at 23:56

      Anonymous 6:30... hanged himself is correct even more correct than hung himself in dis situation,

      Delete
    9. sheylee bee13 January 2013 at 23:57

      Anonymous 6:30... hanged himself is correct even more correct than hung himself in dis situation,

      Delete
    10. Anonymous14 January 2013 at 12:42

      Pls it is Hunged shw

      Delete
    11. Folarin Akin14 January 2013 at 20:07

      Oga o! awon olo yibo!

      Delete
    12. Anonymous14 January 2013 at 22:16

      Choi, dem don finish you today o Mr teacher, kpele o
      Where u hide?

      Delete
  2. segunsd13 January 2013 at 14:19

    How sad. Shows how fickle the hope of man is. Pretty sad. Suicide should never be an option.

    Check out never-been-seen pictures of Beyonce's baby bump on naijaPOSE

    Also I heard that Kim Kardashian may quit TV. Sorry folks. Read HERE

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eya Ayambem13 January 2013 at 14:20

    See what depression can lead to.*Sigh*
    So sad!
    Btw, for simple, easy to cook and healthy Nigerian meal recipes, I suggest we VISIT: www.wivestownhallconnection.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 14:40

    Burn in hell sucker!
    Billie jean

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 15:39

      Billie Goat, you are a big FOOL. Thunda fire you for not respecting d dead. Ewu merrr. Must u comment. FOOL!!!!!!! Heartless Billie Goat!

      Delete
    2. volt13 January 2013 at 16:13

      Your soo bitter you bastard...you can rot in hell as well

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 16:15

      U ehn!!!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 16:16

      Linda, stop selling negativity. It's good to say your mind like bonario is doing or does. But, for Billie jean, you need to reconsider posting their comment if it's always this negative. This person has issues.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 18:00

      A lot of people on here gives this dude the attention he wants.
      It'l b nice if no1 replies him. I swear he does this for ur attention and u guys never dissapoint him. #justsaying

      Delete
  5. A.R.K13 January 2013 at 14:43

    hmmm .. . Why was he not using his brain legally ? He for don be like Bill Gates . Dont know if I should say RIP

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 16:33

      Or illegally for gain? Why set "information free". Na learner o. If e be 9ja boi ha! The thought of all d moni he must have made will keep him veryt far aaway from suicide

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 17:28

      That is d diff bw a white man and a black man. Black man will always think of what he stands to gain while a white man will think of what he can contribute to society. Haven't you enjoyed softcopy of books you got from friends or copied music from them? Why did you get it for free when you should pay for it?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14 January 2013 at 00:40

      Thank u anon 5 28. Feel so sad bout dis. That JStor in particular is so useless! They show u d perfect excerpts but ask that u pay all d time. Its very tempting to plagiarise cos bin thinking bout what this boy did for a very long time didn't know it was possible. In my opinion I think he is a HERO

      Delete
  6. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 14:46

    ...really too bad! Committing suicide isn't worth it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 14:55

    So sad!after they would say nigerians are among the saddest people in the world. America nw leads the world in the highest sucide rates.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kim13 January 2013 at 15:23

      Exactly! They run those stupid statistics about nigeria, just to make their country look good, when in reality America is more fucked up than any other country in the world! All those mass shootings and suicides!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 19:34

      Ogbeni stop deceiving urself... Which country is f**ked up and every year people from all over the world keeps applying for u.s visa lottery and am pretty sure u applied for dis year's own

      Delete
  8. BLOGLORD (MVBM)13 January 2013 at 14:58

    why did u do this to yourself this fine chap? where there is life, there is hope but i guess you chose this path without givng that a thought.
    i can't say RIP cos u sure going to hell and the fire is damn so hot; definitely you can;t be at peace there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olubabafemi13 January 2013 at 23:24

      Oh! I didn't know you created the guy! That's why you are able to tell the world where he'll be - Hell.

      You'll be shocked on the judgement day#

      Leave Jehavah to judge him.

      May God forgive you.

      Delete
  9. BONARIO NNAGS13 January 2013 at 15:00

    May his soul rest in peace,trust me not to judge.

    ~BONARIO~says so via NOKIA3310

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 15:15

    Probably murdered because he knew a lot of things

    ReplyDelete
  11. ★★PRINCE CHARMING™★★13 January 2013 at 15:22

    IT geeks mostly have issues and that's a fact, RIP to him

    ReplyDelete
  12. Unknown13 January 2013 at 15:30

    Guy na u Sabi o....many guys down here face even brutal conditions n they'v not contemplated suicide...I'm not judging, d deed is done.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Unknown13 January 2013 at 15:37

    Suicide is not the answer. So sad

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ïjebu Wife13 January 2013 at 15:54

    So sad. May we never bury our children by God's grace. Amin.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Chikaka13 January 2013 at 15:57

    This money ehn....
    What a waste of talent.

    ReplyDelete
  16. HANNABELA13 January 2013 at 16:07

    Why all this america dey hang dem self...I pity ur mama oooo...linda does america life has a duplicate?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Angel Ricardo13 January 2013 at 16:29

    People are missing the point. His intentions were altruistic, it's just the way he went about it that's wrong. However suicide is never a choice. Don't Judge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 17:31

      Best comment! Means you have knowledge/idea of the IT world.

      Delete
  18. ec13 January 2013 at 16:43

    Poor boy.may his soul rip amen

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 16:46

    It's so obvious this guy was killed. The suicide story is just a cover up.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 17:56

    these comments are embarrassing. linda your readers are so clueless. i don't even know where to start. from self righteous mumus saying "you're going straight to hell" to the ones shamelessly marketing their own blogs i.e. Eya Ayambem and segunsd to the other person going on about black men and white men - seriously wtf is wrong with everybody?

    Here's a tip for everyone - READ the story. If you don't know what depression is, look it up. And it's not by force to comment. Abi Linda are you dashing money for commenting?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Unknown13 January 2013 at 18:13

    Those bluffs ehn... Cooking up stories. Do they really expect evry1 to be believe e committed suicide? I dnt beliv in genius like dis committing suicide. Dnt judge any1, so wen u say go to hell think bowt it again

    ReplyDelete
  22. Unknown13 January 2013 at 18:32

    So talented but used it in a nagtive way.now see the result. We reap what we sow.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 18:35

    Hi am goodness from caleb university he had good motive but where he went wrong was hacking people laptop rest in peace

    ReplyDelete
  24. Deekay13 January 2013 at 19:12

    Chei! What a loss! :(( hope he's in a better place. He meant no harm.... :(

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 19:37

    its a shame ,i suspect foul play

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymouse13 January 2013 at 19:41

    Billie Jean
    You rock my world
    I'll kiss your teeth if you want
    Cos you're so awesooome
    You're the one
    .....Cheers....Love Anonymouse

    ReplyDelete
  27. Unknown13 January 2013 at 20:10

    After una go say Nigeria na one of the saddest country... Yeye people

    ReplyDelete
  28. Unknown13 January 2013 at 20:10

    After una go say Nigeria na one of the saddest country... Yeye people

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 21:06

    SAD CASE, COMMITTED A CRIME AND THINKS THAT SUICIDE IS THE SOLUTION, PROBABLY THINKS ITS AN EASY WAY OUT.


    http://applytojobs.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 21:10

    Do you want to start a very successful cooperative business this year? Get your free report at www.povertykillerng.com

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 21:29

    Toksy B:RIP!!!! Some comments just make me LMAO,then pple insulting themselve...Smh

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 22:26

    Summer 2013 Admission into the United States International University in Nairobi have Started..If your interested or would like to gain an Admission into USIU please send a mail to donyekachi@ymail.com for more information.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 22:27

    Summer 2013 Admission into the United States International University in Nairobi have Started..If your interested or would like to gain an Admission into USIU please send a mail to donyekachi@ymail.com for more information.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous13 January 2013 at 22:28

    Summer 2013 Admission into the United States International University in Nairobi have Started..If your interested or would like to gain an Admission into USIU please send a mail to donyekachi@ymail.com for more information.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Dlapikin13 January 2013 at 22:57

    I understand him. He is very young, and with this type of physique it wouldn't take a minute before he bocomes someone's bitch in jail. lots of these computer geniuses are often people with socialisation issues at the base look at McAfee and Zuckerberg just to name these two, when you look at the story of their lives and their social behavior they are misfits! I'm sure Steve Jobs and Bill gates were not too far from that in their youth either. So I completely understand that the anxiety to go to jail for 35 years and especially not to have access to a computer would push such individuals to suicide. ( For this type of crime, it is standard that you are banned from technology).

    ReplyDelete
  36. Dlapikin13 January 2013 at 22:57

    I understand him. He is very young, and with this type of physique it wouldn't take a minute before he bocomes someone's bitch in jail. lots of these computer geniuses are often people with socialisation issues at the base look at McAfee and Zuckerberg just to name these two, when you look at the story of their lives and their social behavior they are misfits! I'm sure Steve Jobs and Bill gates were not too far from that in their youth either. So I completely understand that the anxiety to go to jail for 35 years and especially not to have access to a computer would push such individuals to suicide. ( For this type of crime, it is standard that you are banned from technology).

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous14 January 2013 at 01:32

    i did not see any real reason for suicide from where i was sitting but maybe id watch the replay and get better insight... shocking decision nonetheless

    >ArseneWenger

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous14 January 2013 at 09:46

    "Guess he couldn't take it all and so he HANGED himself"......gbagaun!!! Linda is 'ringed" a bell today o.

    The correct verb is "hung" not hanged Linda!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous14 January 2013 at 17:34

    I am in agreement with this man, information wants to be free. I can remember the annoyance and difficulty I had using the JSTOR website because they want you to pay for what they have not writen.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous14 January 2013 at 20:59

    There is a social network for geeks to relate now. sign up on www.digitalnaija.com

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous16 January 2013 at 19:34

    life without GOD is a hopeless one

    ReplyDelete

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the comment writers alone and does not reflect or represent the views of Linda Ikeji.

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