Celebrating the Life of Aaron Swartz: Aaron Swartz Day 2024
Aaron Swartz was a digital rights champion who believed deeply in keeping the internet open. His life was cut short in 2013, after federal prosecutors charged him under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) for systematically downloading academic journal articles from the online database JSTOR. Facing the prospect of a long and unjust sentence, Aaron died by suicide at the age of 26. EFF was proud to call Aaron a friend and ally.
Today, November 8, would have been his 38th birthday. On November 9, the organizers of Aaron Swartz Day are celebrating his life with a guest-packed podcast featuring those carrying on the work around issues close to his heart. Hosts Lisa Rein and Andre Vinicus Leal Sobral will speak to:
- Ryan Shapiro, co-founder of the national security transparency non-profit Property of the People
- Nathan Dyer of SecureDrop, Newsroom Support Engineer for the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
- Tracey Jaquith, Founding Coder and TV Architect at the Internet Archive
- Tracy Rosenberg, co-founder of the Aaron Swartz Day Police Surveillance Project and Oakland Privacy
- Brewster Kahle founder of the Internet Archive
- Ryan Sternlicht, VR developer, educator, researcher, advisor, and maker
- Grant Smith Ellis, Chairperson of the Board, MassCann and Legal Intern at the Parabola Center
- Michael “Mek” Karpeles, Open Library, Internet Archive
The podcast will start at 2 p.m. PT/10 p.m. UTC. Please read the official page of the Aaron Swartz Day and International Hackathon for full details.
If you’re a programmer or developer engaged in cutting-edge exploration of technology, please check out EFF’s Coders’ Rights Project.
