A brief message from Anonymous.
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.
Moreover, the situation Aaron found himself in highlights the injustice of U.S. computer crime laws, particularly their punishment regimes, and the highly-questionable justice of pre-trial bargaining. Aaron’s act was undoubtedly political activism; it had tragic consequences.
Our wishes
We call for this tragedy to be a basis for reform of computer crime laws, and the overzealous prosecutors who use them.
We call for this tragedy to be a basis for reform of copyright and intellectual property law, returning it to the proper principles of common good to the many, rather than private gain to the few.
We call for this tragedy to be a basis for greater recognition of the oppression and injustices heaped daily by certain persons and institutions of authority upon anyone who dares to stand up and be counted for their beliefs, and for greater solidarity and mutual aid in response.
We call for this tragedy to be a basis for a renewed and unwavering commitment to a free and unfettered internet, spared from censorship with equality of access and franchise for all.
For in the end, we will not be judged according to what we give, but according to what we keep to ourselves.
Aaron, we will sorely miss your friendship, and your help in building a better world. May you read in peace.
—-
Who was Aaron Swartz? A hero in the SOPA/PIPA campaign, Reddit co-founder, RSS, Demand Progress, Avaaz, etc…:
Aaron Swartz’s funeral is on Tuesday.
—-
Guerilla Open Access Manifesto
Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world’s entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations. Want to read the papers featuring the most famous results of the sciences? You’ll need to send enormous amounts to publishers like Reed Elsevier.
There are those struggling to change this. The Open Access Movement has fought valiantly to ensure that scientists do not sign their copyrights away but instead ensure their work is published on the Internet, under terms that allow anyone to access it. But even under the best scenarios, their work will only apply to things published in the future. Everything up until now will have been lost.
That is too high a price to pay. Forcing academics to pay money to read the work of their colleagues? Scanning entire libraries but only allowing the folks at Google to read them? Providing scientific articles to those at elite universities in the First World, but not to children in the Global South? It’s outrageous and unacceptable.
“I agree,” many say, “but what can we do? The companies hold the copyrights, they make enormous amounts of money by charging for access, and it’s perfectly legal — there’s nothing we can do to stop them.” But there is something we can, something that’s already being done: we can fight back.
Those with access to these resources — students, librarians, scientists — you have been given a privilege. You get to feed at this banquet of knowledge while the rest of the world is locked out. But you need not — indeed, morally, you cannot — keep this privilege for yourselves. You have a duty to share it with the world. And you have: trading passwords with colleagues, filling download requests for friends.
Meanwhile, those who have been locked out are not standing idly by. You have been sneaking through holes and climbing over fences, liberating the information locked up by the publishers and sharing them with your friends.
But all of this action goes on in the dark, hidden underground. It’s called stealing or piracy, as if sharing a wealth of knowledge were the moral equivalent of plundering a ship and murdering its crew. But sharing isn’t immoral — it’s a moral imperative. Only those blinded by greed would refuse to let a friend make a copy.
Large corporations, of course, are blinded by greed. The laws under which they operate require it — their shareholders would revolt at anything less. And the politicians they have bought off back them, passing laws giving them the exclusive power to decide who can make copies.
There is no justice in following unjust laws. It’s time to come into the light and, in the grand tradition of civil disobedience, declare our opposition to this private theft of public culture.
We need to take information, wherever it is stored, make our copies and share them with the world. We need to take stuff that’s out of copyright and add it to the archive. We need to buy secret databases and put them on the Web. We need to download scientific journals and upload them to file sharing networks. We need to fight for Guerilla Open Access.
With enough of us, around the world, we’ll not just send a strong message opposing the privatization of knowledge — we’ll make it a thing of the past. Will you join us?
Aaron Swartz
July 2008, Eremo, Italy
—–
You were the best of us; may you yet bring out the best in us.
-Anonymous, Jan 13, 2013.
—-
(Postscript: We tender apologies to the administrators at MIT for this temporary use of their websites. We understand that it is a time of soul-searching for all those within this great institution as much — perhaps for some involved even more so — than it is for the greater internet community. We do not consign blame or responsibility upon MIT for what has happened, but call for all those feel heavy-hearted in their proximity to this awful loss to acknowledge instead the responsibility they have — that we all have — to build and safeguard a future that would make Aaron proud, and honour the ideals and dedication that burnt so brightly within him by embodying them in thought and word and action. Original frontpage)
SageAnon
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Anonymous
January 14, 2013
Thank you. Well done and said.
Mark in DC
January 26, 2013
So this very intelligent young man took his own life after breaking the law and because of this a group of anonymous people think that justifies them breaking additional laws. Wow they must have all voted for Bammy. Sad to see such a talented young man end his life this way. It is ashamed that he chose to break the law and then was not willing to accept personal responsibility for his actions.
John
February 7, 2013
You didn’t really get the point of the letter did you?
Anonymous
February 12, 2013
I don’t think he understands anything Anonymous stands for, let alone his own moral affinity. He was a very intelligent young man who took his own life facing A LIFE IN PRISON because of a victimless crime. If you were driving your car and crashed it into the presidents favorite tree, would you want to spend a life in prison for it? It is a different situation but the same principles and injustice is in this situation. Mark in DC, I would be surprised if you had any motivation and conviction in your children living free and with the possibility of advancement and knowledge. I would also be surprised if you had any interest in gaining any knowledge for yourself, but I’m sure your happy working a 9-5 and struggling to make ends meet.
Chips
January 14, 2013
If everyone,worldwide,were to read just this post,they would come to understand what Anonymous is all about.I applaud you.
Carson
January 14, 2013
I have been a member of demand progress since the CISPA fight. And its beautiful. I am truly sorry for the worlds loss..
Barkingkitty
January 14, 2013
Thank you for this – well said and much needed.
Jon
January 14, 2013
Bravo, and thank you.
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
this is a truth that needs to be shared, please continue this revolution
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
I am so glad I read this — as a senior type, I often feel a prejudice against Anonymous from what I hear in the news etc. What I read today is so far from that. I reach out in respect and join in your mourning. Thank you.
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
TOUCHE
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
thank you.
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
Most sorry for the tragic loss of Aaron Swartz; I wonder did he really kill himself or was he removed from the battlefield… RIP
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
Wow,
Anonymous you are now my heroes.
After reading this I am able to learn
And understand what you and Aaron
Stood for.
Thank You
polardad1
January 14, 2013
while i did not know aaron it is apparent his impact was felt by many in a profound way. may some meaningful change be derived from such a meaningless act.
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
Thank you for honoring Aaron in your own way. I wish someone could have reached him to let him know that there’s always a better way than suicide when it comes to matters like this. Perhaps a website?
Our prayers are with him and all young people who feel there is no way out. Keep the faith and may The Creator of the universe that has designed your mind and DNA coding, hold you in the palm of His Hands.
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
Once again, thank you, Anonymous. Thank you for standing up where others, who are in those expected positions, failed to stand for what is right and just.
Thank you for giving Aaron the dignity he deserved, even in death.
God Bless each and every one of you ’till the end of time.
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
I, too, am glad I took the time to read this.
The wealthy continue to hold on with clinched fists knowledge the rest of us have every right to read.
In a very sad way, many parallels can be drawn to what is happening now to what was happening when Hitler decided to burn all the Jewish books in Berlin.
Had it not been for tax dollars of all Americans, much of this research would have never been accomplished.
Godspeed Aaron. Peace be with your family.
Anonymous
January 14, 2013
I mourn a martyr and cheer his idealistic battle.
Amid Yousef
January 15, 2013
We (I) took http://www.TVSHOWHOW.com Dark for AARON and we’ll keep it dark for 40 days… That’s the normal grief period in our village for AARON…PLEASE join me by going Dark…
I urged Facebook and Google to go Dark, not yet .
Texascola
January 15, 2013
RIP AARON….
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
What might have been is an abstraction
Remaining a perpetual possibility
Only in a world of speculation.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
Anonymous
January 15, 2013
These posts are brilliant and this is such a tragic loss. A young man is gone and his was guilty of nothing, except just being smart and wanting others to be smart, which is not a crime. I did not know of him or this movement before his passing, but now I know and I am on the Open Movement side. Money should not be the barrier to knowledge.
Anonymous
January 15, 2013
fuck MIT
Anonymous
January 15, 2013
We must wakeup
Anonymous
January 15, 2013
Aaron remains a guiding light in the battle against the systematic hoarding of knowledge that allows greed to fester. His name will not be forgotten, and his noble cause will not be lost.
Anonymous
January 15, 2013
God bless you Aaron Swartz.
Anonymous, all of you, like Aaron, are selfless treasures. Your work will continue to bear fruit long into the future.
Hopesnopes
January 15, 2013
Thank you so much. Reading this, along with hearing Aaron Swartz’ own words yesterday on Democracy Now drives it home BIG whoppin’ time that we can win against privatization and greed and we have to carry on.
Anonymous
January 16, 2013
Sad. Did more in less than a quarter century than most do in a lifetime, in terms of global impact. He should inspire us to make a difference, reach out to others, and challenge the norm. For those with the means, the prosecutorial system has become dysfunctional is certain areas, and this is one, which means we must reform, as anon suggests. Half of what I electronically did as a kid in the early 80s would have landed me in the same boat as Aaron. This isn’t just.
Anonymous
January 18, 2013
What a moving speach!
Anonymous
January 20, 2013
This was a tragic way for the spark for change to be lit but isn’t that usually the case? RIP
isis
January 22, 2013
i hear the notice and i hate obama!!is a mason maybe your religion had the diabolic power :0( :’( rest in peace Aaron
Mark in VA
January 26, 2013
So a VERY talented young man chose to take his own life rather than face the consequences of his actions. Very sad. Sad that not only is this young man dead, but also that a group of individuals thinks that additional criminal acts are justified because of it. I applaud the efforts of working to change things one does not agree with, however if one uses criminal activity to do so, they must be willing to accept responsibility for these actions and the consequences of them.