PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Internet activist and programmer Aaron Swartz took his own life on January 11th.
His family believe the 26-year-old was driven to suicide after being charged with stealing millions of scientific journals from MIT in an attempt to make them freely available.
"Aaron’s death is not simply a personal tragedy," his family said in a statement. "It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach. Decisions made by officials in the Massachusetts US Attorney’s office and at MIT contributed to his death."
As a teenager, Swartz helped to create RSS, a family of web feed formats used to gather updates from around the internet. He also co-founded the social news website Reddit.
Swartz, who suffered with depression, was founded by a friend in his New York apartment. A spokeswoman for New York’s medical examiner later confirmed to Associated Press news agency that Swartz hanged himself.
Leading figures have paid tribute to Swartz on Twitter, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who posted: "Aaron dead. World wanderers, we have lost a wise elder. Hackers for right, we are one down. Parents all, we have lost a child. Let us weep."
Want to receive up-to-the-minute tech news straight to your inbox? Then click here to sign up for the completely free PCR Daily Digest and Newsflash email services. You can also follow PCR on Twitter and Facebook.
