This Hacker Saved the Internet

He used the program to grab as many academic journals as possible from the digital library called JSTOR. Since the hacker was using the MIT networks, he was able to access all of JSTOR for free, without having to pay the hefty fees that they charged.

#4chanstory #internethistory #pezle

[Pezle]

"We must never underestimate the power of ordinary people to make a difference" - Aaron Swartz

[dropleftt]

Not this man getting a higher sentence than a murderer

[BlizV]

Crazy how stuff like this gets you 59 years in prison but when it comes to child abuse it’s only like 5-10.

[retroclassicpablo]

Man i learned something:
If 4Chan kicks in, then now it's serious

[mgeqmps]

I didn't realize access to information was a life and death game like that bro.

[Definitely_Human]

50 years??? Aint no way they gave my guy a longer punishment then some murderers💀
thats actually insane

[ethernet]

paywalling knowledge in the age of infromation was the real 50 year crime here

[Eternus_transmogrifus]

I respect Aaron for that. Better free information than having it locked behind paywalls.

[dss-homemadestuff]

Knowledge is dangerous for a corrupt system.

[SpencerLemay]

Reddit barely acknowledges this man's existence. Aaron was a real one.

[gamingfox]

If research is funded with public money, it should be freely available for anyone.

[averybrown]

Wow, what kind of a judge makes someone feel theres no other way out than taking their own life for such a minor thing

[OGMaliii]

Damn. I was happy for a second to have a new guy to support. RIP Aaron

[tetanusteta]

50 years for hacked material is insane. While there are child predators and murderers still running free

[liligatinha]

"You wouldnt download a library would you?"

[jorgeng]

It’s really sad to loose people like him…

[TheHirohikoAraki]

You are telling me that predators and murderers get less sentences, but the hacker who stole digital information gets more charges?

Looks like they took _“Justice is blind”_ *way too seriously*

[DaintyCalf]

"Just because something isn't illegal doesn't always mean it should be done, and just because something is illegal doesn't mean you shouldn't do it"

[Night_Hawk_]

Aaron was a truly good person who had high expectations for how we should take care of one another, and the motivation and technical-know-how to put it into motion himself. The system crushed him, and my heart aches for the tragic loss of his life.

Sometimes I still wonder if social media would be as awful if he were still the owner of one of the major social sites.

[Jxjjixx]

50 years that’s double what people get for murdering someone 😭