World Wide Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee wrote a poem in honor of Swartz, which he assigned to a forum on the W3C Web site (he also tweeted a shortened version):
Aaron died.
Wanderers in this crazy world,
we lost a mentor, a wise old man.
Pirates of law, we are one down
We lost one of ours.
Feeds, careers, auditors, feeders,
Parents all
we lost a child.
Let us all cry.
Author and blogger Cory Doctorow posted a tribute on Boing Boing, stating:
Aaron had an unbeatable combination of political acumen, technical competence and the intelligence of people and issues. I think he could have revolutionized American (and world) politics. His legacy can still do it again.
Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig has published a blog discussing angry that legal action taken against Swartz by the U.S. government regarding the alleged theft of millions of documents Swartz MIT and base Data Jstor. The item entitled "Prosecutor as Bully," says that "the question of what government must answer is why it is so necessary that Aaron Swartz be called" criminal. " It starts on a sad note:
(Some would say that this is not the time. I disagree. This is the time when all mixed emotions needs to find his voice.)
Since his arrest in January 2011, I knew more about the events that started this spiral I wanted to know. Aaron has consulted me as a friend and advocate. He shared with me what happened and why, and I worked with him for help. When my obligations to Harvard created a conflict which made it impossible for me to continue as a lawyer, I continued as a friend. Not a good enough friend, no doubt, but nothing will take this friendship in doubt.
Billions of bits of sadness and confusion spinning around the net that confirm this boy was unbelievable for us all ...
And this afternoon, the Swartz family, and his partner, Taren Stinebricker-Kaufmann, released their official statement about passing Swartz, a website announcing they are creating a repository of stories and memories about him, saying that the behavior of MIT and the District Attorney's Office District of Massachusetts has played a role in the death Swartz:
Official statement of the family and partner Aaron Swartz:
Our beloved brother, son, friend, partner and Aaron Swartz hanged himself Friday in his Brooklyn apartment. We are in shock and have not yet come to terms with his death.
Aaron insatiable curiosity, creativity and brilliance, his empathy and capacity for reflexive selfless, boundless love, his refusal to accept injustice as inevitable - these gifts made the world and our lives more bright. We are grateful for our time with him, to those who loved him and stood with him, and all those who continue his work for a better world.
Aaron commitment to social justice was deep and defined his life. He contributed to the defeat of a proposed Internet censorship, he fought for a more democratic, open and accountable political system, and he helped to create, build and maintain a dizzying array of scientific projects that have expanded the scope and accessibility of HR knowledge. He used his prodigious skills as a programmer and technologist not get rich, but to make the Internet and the world fairer and better place. His writing has profoundly affected human minds and hearts across generations and continents. He won the friendship of thousands of people and the respect and support of millions of others.
Aaron's death is not only a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system plagued by intimidation and prosecution too far. Decisions taken by the responsible attorney's office in Massachusetts USA and MIT contributed to his death. The prosecutor's office of the United States has pursued an exceptionally disciplined expense table, with potentially more than 30 years in prison, to punish an alleged crime that had no victims. During this time, unlike JSTOR MIT refused to stand for the principles and Aaron dearest of his own community.
Today we mourn the extraordinary and irreplaceable man we lost.
Aaron funeral will be held on Tuesday, January 15 Central Avenue Synagogue, 874 Central Avenue, Highland Park, Illinois 60035. Further details, including the specific time will be displayed http://rememberaaronsw.com with ads about memorial services taking place in other cities in the coming weeks.
Memories of Aaron, as well as donations in his memory may be subject to http://rememberaaronsw.com
Among other things, Swartz co-author of "RSS 1.0" CNR, was probably co-founder of Reddit, and was the founder of Demand Progress nonprofit group, which was active in the Anti-SOPA. He was a strong supporter of what he considered freedom information.Police Swartz was arrested in July 2011 for stealing 4 million documents from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and JSTOR, an archive of scientific journals and academic articles. The authorities said he broke into a closet restricted computer wiring at MIT and accessible than the network without authorization.
If convicted, Swartz faces a maximum of $ 4 million in fines and 50 years in prison after the government increased the number of charges against Swartz to 13 4.
News Swartz suicide came just days after Jstor announced this week it would be "more than 4.5 million items" available to the public free of charge.
As noted by AllThingsD, in 2011 Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, said about the case, "Stealing is stealing, whether you use a computer command or a crowbar, and if you take documents, data or dollars. '
