Aaron Swartz

Aaron Swartz was a computer programmer and writer who cared a lot about making information free for everyone. He lived from 1986 to 2013.

Growing up
Aaron was born in Chicago and loved computers from a young age. By the time he was a teenager, he was already helping to build tools that are still used on the internet today. One of these, called RSS, lets people get updates from their favorite websites in one place.

Reddit
Reddit was started in 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian. Aaron’s own small company joined with Reddit that same year, so he became part of the early team. People often call him a co-founder for this reason, though the story is a little more complicated than that. He left in 2006 after Reddit was sold to a bigger company.

Things he helped create

• Markdown, a simple way of formatting text that many websites use

• Open Library, a project that aims to give every book its own web page

• Demand Progress, a group that encourages people to speak up about internet laws

Standing up for a free internet
Aaron believed that knowledge, like scientific research, should be available to everyone and not hidden behind expensive paywalls. In 2011 and 2012, he helped lead a huge online campaign against a proposed law called SOPA. Many people thought it would harm free speech online, and the law did not pass.

His legal trouble
In 2011, Aaron was arrested for downloading a large number of academic articles from a service called JSTOR, using a computer network at MIT. He was charged with serious crimes and faced the possibility of a very long prison sentence. Many people thought the punishment was far too harsh for what he had done.

His death
Aaron died in January 2013, at the age of 26. It was a very sad moment for his family, friends, and the many people who admired his work. His death led to important conversations about fairness in the justice system and how computer crime laws should work.

Why he is remembered
Today, Aaron is remembered as someone who used his talents to try to make the world more open and fair. A documentary about his life, The Internet’s Own Boy, was made in 2014.

Questions to think about

1. Should all information be free for everyone? Why or why not?

2. How should the law treat someone who breaks a rule for a cause they believe in?

3. What are some ways young people can speak up about things they care about?