Sad Day for Reddit. Co Founder Commits Suicide

by sbucciarel Banned
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What a bloody waste of life. This kid was a genius. Sad to hear this news.

Aaron Swartz, co-founder of Reddit and online activist, hangs himself in Brooklyn apartment, authorities say - NY Daily News

Aaron Swartz, co-founder of Reddit and online activist, hangs himself in Brooklyn apartment, authorities say

The 26-year-old Swartz was facing trial next month in a controversial computer-hacking case. He left no note before his apparent Friday morning suicide inside the seventh-floor apartment on Sullivan St., police sources said.
#commits #day #founder #reddit #sad #suicide
  • Profile picture of the author Warrior Ben
    Wow, this is shocking news! I think there was another high profile suicide of a tech entrepreneur last year too... for a social network called Diaspora? Sad news and really shows the stress that entrepreneurs can be under, especially if they get into legal trouble or their business goes under.

    It should also be noted that depression is kind of an unspoken issue among entrepreneurs. We are generally known for being naively optimistic and positive, but depression is a very real issue entrepreneurs face. I personally struggled with depression after one of my businesses failed and it took me awhile to get back on my feet. Awhile ago I wrote a very personal blog post about the depression I was facing and what I did to change my life. I don't want to shamelessly share a link to my blog, but I think that anybody who has struggled with depression would find the post very useful and enlightening. You can read it here: How to Change Your Life | Warrior Ben Confidential

    Anybody can experience depression, including those at the top of their game. Although not a household name, Aaron Swartz was a pioneer on the internet. May he Rest in Peace. This is a sad day indeed.
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  • Profile picture of the author JEasy
    You always got to wonder about the legitimacy of a suicide when it's by "hanging oneself". I mean who would really do that? I'm skeptical of this so called "suicide".
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  • Profile picture of the author SparkletMedia
    Banned
    This is bad news...RIP

    I was shocked when I found out.
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  • Profile picture of the author BenQ
    He's talked about his severe depression for a long time. He was 14 when he coded the base for what has become modern RSS. Genius.
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  • Profile picture of the author Warrior X
    Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

    This kid was a genius.
    Also helped invent RSS when he was a teenager.

    This was so unnecessary.

    He was facing 10 years for 'stealing' journal articles.

    I swear, internet law in the US is so out of touch with reality it makes me cringe.
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  • Profile picture of the author DonnyBoy
    Oh Man... Its a really really sad new... That guy was a genious... May his Soul rest in peace...
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  • Profile picture of the author Sue McDonald
    How sad to have such a gift and not enjoy life. People who commit suicide do not think of the ones they leave behind.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lynette Crase
    Really sad to hear this. He was so young, what a waste. I wish he would have talked to someone when things got really bad for him.

    Originally Posted by Sue McDonald View Post

    People who commit suicide do not think of the ones they leave behind.
    I'm not sure that they don't think of the ones who they leave behind. Maybe they do, maybe they don't.

    As someone who has battled depression for several years I can say that some days are a real challenge just to be here. When the pain gets unbearable and you just want it to stop it can get very hard not to do something stupid. I can't say that I haven't thought of it several times over the last few years but I do stop and think of those people that I would leave behind, especially my son, and what it would do to them and I know that I couldn't do it. That, and counselling, is what keeps me here.

    Lynette
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  • A lot of good it does him now...

    US court drops charges on Aaron Swartz days after his suicide

    US court drops charges on Aaron Swartz days after his suicide — RT
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    A humanity deficit - Metro - The Boston Globe

    Some prosecutor thought it would be a glowing entry in his resume to turn this into a huge case that should never have been more than a probationary slap on the hand. There was no victim here. The documents were unsecured, tax payer funded research documents. To turn that into a case with 30 something felonies, millions of dollars in fine and up to 35 years prison time is unbelievable. JStor didn't want him prosecuted at all. You can give credit where credit is due. MIT would not sign off on a plea deal with probation. Good move MIT.

    The argument about whether Swartz should have been facing criminal charges in the first place is largely academic. It’s true that JSTOR, the subscription-service archive from which Swartz downloaded the articles, didn’t want him prosecuted. MIT, whose computer system Swartz used to download the information, was less forgiving.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      A humanity deficit - Metro - The Boston Globe

      Some prosecutor thought it would be a glowing entry in his resume to turn this into a huge case that should never have been more than a probationary slap on the hand. There was no victim here. The documents were unsecured, tax payer funded research documents. To turn that into a case with 30 something felonies, millions of dollars in fine and up to 35 years prison time is unbelievable. JStor didn't want him prosecuted at all. You can give credit where credit is due. MIT would not sign off on a plea deal with probation. Good move MIT.
      I hope whoever filed these insane charges against him has a lifetime to think
      about what he did. And I hope it eats him up alive.

      I'll leave it at that because if I say what I really feel, I'll be banned from this
      forum for life.
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    • Profile picture of the author garyv
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      A humanity deficit - Metro - The Boston Globe

      Some prosecutor thought it would be a glowing entry in his resume to turn this into a huge case that should never have been more than a probationary slap on the hand. There was no victim here. The documents were unsecured, tax payer funded research documents. To turn that into a case with 30 something felonies, millions of dollars in fine and up to 35 years prison time is unbelievable. JStor didn't want him prosecuted at all. You can give credit where credit is due. MIT would not sign off on a plea deal with probation. Good move MIT.
      You can bet that there were probably some big money links from the RIAA pushing for his prosecution. The kid was a genius when it came to online marketing, especially petition campaigns. He was probably single handedly the one most responsible for the stopping of SOPA. We all remember the service blackouts and the petitions by google and wikipedia almost exactly a year ago. He was the coordinator of these events. Hopefully he'll become a martyr for his cause.
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  • Profile picture of the author daveaball
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    According to HIS lawyers, a few days before he died Swartz was offered a plea deal by prosecutors:

    6 months in prison
    plead guilty to 13 counts

    JSTOR said they would not pursue CIVIL litigation against Swartz - I've not read anywhere about JSTOR being against criminal charges but may have missed it.

    To blame the results on others is no more balanced than for him to take his life. It's a sad loss but the only person responsible is Swartz. From beginning to end, these were his choices to make.

    I think this young man made an emotional decision. In reality a year from now this would be behind him. The suicide may have been more a result of depression than of his true situation.
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
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      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      According to HIS lawyers, a few days before he died Swartz was offered a plea deal by prosecutors:

      6 months in prison
      plead guilty to 13 counts

      JSTOR said they would not pursue CIVIL litigation against Swartz - I've not read anywhere about JSTOR being against criminal charges but may have missed it.

      To blame the results on others is no more balanced than for him to take his life. It's a sad loss but the only person responsible is Swartz. From beginning to end, these were his choices to make.

      I think this young man made an emotional decision. In reality a year from now this would be behind him. The suicide may have been more a result of depression than of his true situation.
      The article I linked to said that JStor wanted to sign off on probation, but the MIT did not. It's a gross case of over prosecution IMO, especially considering the "crime" of releasing unsecured research documents to the "wild", something that only the nerdiest of nerds would even be interested in.

      MIT released a statement that they are investigating their handling of this case now that he is dead. Perhaps a bit of thought before jumping into criminal prosecution would alleviate the shame that they now feel for their part.

      The kid had a long history of clinical depression and facing 6 months in prison when already depressed would seem like an eternity.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        The kid had a long history of clinical depression and facing 6 months in prison when already depressed would seem like an eternity.
        I thought that, too. I have experience with depression and it's hard if you are "in it" to see anything good happening or see anything long term.

        What I disagree with is the "blame" being placed on others. It may be an over zealous prosecutor or over charged because it's a second offense after he was not prosecuted the first time.

        In the end, you can't fail to prosecute because it might cause unforeseen consequences. It's bad no matter how you look at it.
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        • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
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          Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

          I thought that, too. I have experience with depression and it's hard if you are "in it" to see anything good happening or see anything long term.

          What I disagree with is the "blame" being placed on others. It may be an over zealous prosecutor or over charged because it's a second offense after he was not prosecuted the first time.

          In the end, you can't fail to prosecute because it might cause unforeseen consequences. It's bad no matter how you look at it.
          Well, the prosecutor's original charges were over 30 felonies and could result in over 30 years in a prison ... a prison that houses murderers, rapists ...the worst of the worst in society. That is malicious prosecution. It does not serve the public who pays their salaries to "protect" society from this kid who was a treasure by putting him in prison.

          ... Or was the prosecution being overly aggressive or relying on strained theories in charging Swartz as it did? The second question is discretion and judgment. The DOJ has the discretion to charge cases or not, and prosecutors can agree to different plea deals or even agree to have charges dismissed. Were the prosecutors in this case unfair in how they exercised discretion, or did they act irresponsibly in the case in how they exercised the discretion that the law grants them?
          The prosecutor threw the book at him, when it didn't fit the crime.

          Federal prosecutors had indicted Swartz on 13 counts of felony hacking and wire fraud related to the alleged theft of millions of documents from JSTOR, an online library of literary journals and scholarly documents sold by subscription to universities and other institutions.

          Several charges against Swartz were tied to alleged CFAA violations.

          "What has happened over the years is that the CFAA has been amended and extended by Congress so much it has become a very complicated patchwork of laws that has gone well beyond any of its original [intent]," said Eric Goldman, a professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law in California.

          The problem with the CFAA is that it could be used to prosecute relatively minor crimes, Goldman said.

          "Anyone who misrepresents their name, age, location or other information when signing up for a web service is in a sense violating that site's terms of service and could theoretically at least be in violation of the CFAA," he said.

          "We have this very broad federal anti-trespassing statue that is incredibly powerful," Goldman said. Swartz suicide shines light on federal anti-hacking law - Computerworld
          Swartz spent the last two years fighting federal hacking charges. In July 2011, prosecutor Scott Garland working under U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, a politician with her eye on the governor's mansion, charged Swartz with four counts of felony misconduct -- charges that were deemed outrageous by internet experts who understood the case, and wholly unnecessary by the parties Swartz was accused of wronging.

          Swartz repeatedly sought to reduce the charges to a level below felony status, but prosecutors pressed on, adding additional charges so that by September 2012 Swartz faced 13 felony counts and up to half a century in prison. Aaron Swartz, Internet Pioneer, Found Dead Amid Prosecutor 'Bullying' In Unconventional Case
          He faced that for nearly two years. Six months in a prison for this type of "crime" is equally ridiculous, and they are to blame when they prosecute for reasons other than purely seeking justice. When you prosecute to put a feather in your cap or create a reputation, that is not justice, and you are to blame for the consequences. Aaron Swartz was no Albert Gonzalez, but the case was being tried as if he was. Albert Gonzalez received two concurrent sentences of 20 years for this:

          Albert Gonzalez (born 1981) is a computer hacker and computer criminal who is accused of masterminding the combined credit card theft and subsequent reselling of more than 170 million card and ATM numbers from 2005 through 2007—the biggest such fraud in history.
          I'm sorry, but filing charges initially for this that could have resulted in over 30 years in prison is gross prosecutorial misconduct IMO.

          By the same token, MIT had the opportunity to do their soul searching before he was dead, but has chosen to now do soul searching after his death. They had an opportunity to sign off on probation, but didn't. If they don't feel like they share in "blame", why bother to do an internal investigation? They had choices and they made an irresponsible choice. They're most likely sorry they did now.
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  • Profile picture of the author williambrown
    This is sad, this is the 2nd article that i read in this forum with this very same topic "SUICIDE"
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    He faced 35 years of prison for violating a TOS on public domain content.
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  • Profile picture of the author rain21
    I'm not worrying about a criminal who killed himself.
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
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      Originally Posted by rain21 View Post

      I'm not worrying about a criminal who killed himself.
      Thanks for your in depth review of a complex and tragic case. :rolleyes:
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      • Profile picture of the author rain21
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        Thanks for your in depth review of a complex and tragic case. :rolleyes:
        This is not the first time I(we) hear about a situation like this. It happened several times in the past, some hackers got decades of imprisonment for their criminal charges.

        Most importantly what's the special use of making depth reviews about this incident here when he's guilty for the criminal charges ? You, me or anyone here has no authority to legally deal with this situation. He's a criminal and he committed suicide, that's it. People must respect the federal law.

        By the way I believe taking 35 years of life away from a person is not fair. Wraith on earth.
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        • Profile picture of the author waterotter
          Originally Posted by rain21 View Post

          This is not the first time I(we) hear about a situation like this. It happened several times in the past, some hackers got decades of imprisonment for their criminal charges.

          Most importantly what's the special use of making depth reviews about this incident here when he's guilty for the criminal charges ? You, me or anyone here has no authority to legally deal with this situation. He's a criminal and he committed suicide, that's it. People must respect the federal law.

          By the way I believe taking 35 years of life away from a person is not fair. Wraith on earth.
          BBM

          His trial hadn't even started, yet YOU have labelled him guilty. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? :rolleyes:
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          • Profile picture of the author rain21
            Originally Posted by bluecoyotemedia View Post

            Rainman

            no one is asking you to worry. you have enough problems in your own country.

            eddie
            Yea, every country has problems. I'm not denying that.

            Originally Posted by waterotter View Post

            BBM

            His trial hadn't even started, yet YOU have labelled him guilty. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? :rolleyes:
            Some of his criminal actions were recorded on security cameras. So how can he be innocent ?

            I'm not happy about his death. I say criminals need some punishment. That's all.
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            • Profile picture of the author waterotter
              Originally Posted by rain21 View Post

              Some of his criminal actions were recorded on security cameras. So how can he be innocent ?

              I'm not happy about his death. I say criminals need some punishment. That's all.
              This is/was for a jury of his peers to decide his innocence or guilt - NOT you, nor I
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              • Profile picture of the author rain21
                Originally Posted by waterotter View Post

                This is/was for a jury of his peers to decide his innocence or guilt - NOT you, nor I
                I understand it and this is the very reason why I said earlier in this discussion, no use of making depth reviews about it here.
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                • Profile picture of the author Kay King
                  Now there's an investigation launched (I think it's by the feds) to see if an "overzealous prosecutor went too far" in filing the charges on this case.

                  Wonder if they would have paid attention at all had he not committed suicide? That's just sad.
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                  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
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                    Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

                    Now there's an investigation launched (I think it's by the feds) to see if an "overzealous prosecutor went too far" in filing the charges on this case.

                    Wonder if they would have paid attention at all had he not committed suicide? That's just sad.
                    Well there was a petition to "fire" the lead head prosecutor on the whitehouse petition site and it received well above the required amount of signatures for whitehouse response. So with all the press and the petition, I'd say there's a fair amount of pressure to investigate.
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                    • Profile picture of the author garyv
                      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

                      Well there was a petition to "fire" the lead head prosecutor on the whitehouse petition site and it received well above the required amount of signatures for whitehouse response. So with all the press and the petition, I'd say there's a fair amount of pressure to investigate.
                      I'm willing to bet that the President will do something. He knew enough of the power of Reddit to do an open question forum on there right before the election. Reddit is a huge part of his re-election.
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            • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
              Banned
              Originally Posted by rain21 View Post

              Yea, every country has problems. I'm not denying that.

              Some of his criminal actions were recorded on security cameras. So how can he be innocent ?

              I'm not happy about his death. I say criminals need some punishment. That's all.
              Yeah ... these "criminal" actions were nothing more than taking documents that were freely available to take (public domain) in a number greater than allowed from JStor (who did NOT want him to be prosecuted AT ALL).

              The prosecutor chose to prosecute it as if it were a real hacking case like the case I sited above where the criminal hacked into commercial sites, stole credit card info and was guilty of credit card fraud to the tune of millions of dollars. Oh ... he only got 20 years for that, but this prosecution team thought somewhere in the thirty some range was appropriate for over use/download of public domain documents (very boring research documents funded by taxpayers).

              They wanted to make a name for themselves. Mission accomplished. No one will ever forget them.
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    • Profile picture of the author bluecoyotemedia
      Originally Posted by rain21 View Post

      I'm not worrying about a criminal who killed himself.
      Rainman

      no one is asking you to worry. you have enough problems in your own country.

      eddie
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  • Profile picture of the author rain21
    There are bureaucratic loopholes in law systems where some people may escape, but in general people must respect the law.

    Swartz alleged several different crimes. A bunch of the crimes overlap.

    1. Wire Fraud. The Wire Fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. 1343, prohibits a scheme to gain "property" by false pretences.

    2. Unauthorized Access. violation of 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(2)(C) and 18 U.S.C. 1030(c)(2)(B)(iii).

    3. Computer Fraud. Computer Fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(4)

    4. Computer Damage. violation of 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(5)(B) and 1030(c)(4)(A)(i)(I) & (VI).

    So I believe legal charges against Swartz were pretty much legit and three of them are pretty strong.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Well, the prosecutor's original charges were over 30 felonies and could result in over 30 years in a prison ... a prison that houses murderers, rapists ...the worst of the worst in society. That is malicious prosecution. It does not serve the public who pays their salaries to "protect" society from this kid who was a treasure by putting him in prison.
      Those convicted of non-violent crimes don't end up in the prison populations you see on TV shows. They end up confined with other white collar criminals in minimum security facilities that are cheaper to operate.

      At the time he died he knew he was facing minimal punishment. Maybe the law failed him in 2009 when it didn't file charges on a smaller hacking incident. It may have given him a false sense of safety.
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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
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        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        Those convicted of non-violent crimes don't end up in the prison populations you see on TV shows. They end up confined with other white collar criminals in minimum security facilities that are cheaper to operate.
        My brother was convicted of a felony drug charge that the other kids in town got off of with expensive lawyers, when he was in high school and was sent to prison with hardened criminals, not white collar criminals and not minimum security. He was 17 years old.

        http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate...rs-become-prey

        http://www.thenation.com/article/167...second-chance#
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          My brother was convicted of a felony drug charge that the other kids in town got off of with expensive lawyers, when he was in high school and was sent to prison with hardened criminals, not white collar criminals and not minimum security. He was 17 years old.
          Things like that happen far too often but drug charges aren't prosecuted as "white collar crime". Maybe some should be - but contraband drugs is a problem in prisons so those convicted are placed in high security facilities.

          It's a weakness in a legal system that doesn't have good policies for juvenile offenders and where having money for lawyers makes a difference.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by rain21 View Post

      There are bureaucratic loopholes in law systems where some people may escape, but in general people must respect the law.

      Swartz alleged several different crimes. A bunch of the crimes overlap.

      1. Wire Fraud. The Wire Fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. 1343, prohibits a scheme to gain "property" by false pretences.

      2. Unauthorized Access. violation of 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(2)(C) and 18 U.S.C. 1030(c)(2)(B)(iii).

      3. Computer Fraud. Computer Fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(4)

      4. Computer Damage. violation of 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(5)(B) and 1030(c)(4)(A)(i)(I) & (VI).

      So I believe legal charges against Swartz were pretty much legit and three of them are pretty strong.
      Yeah! You know, it is interesting! It happened to AT&T and the culprit nearly had his life DESTROYED! He hacked for knowledge, with NO damage! TODAY he runs a security firm. In fact, another guy probably did! BOTH were jailed, etc... One of the SAME guys did it to CSUN(CAL STATE UNIVERSITY Northridge)(Hacked to get free service, a rep, and was MALICIOUS!), and he was banned from the university, had his name dragged through the mud, and was thrown in jail. ANOTHER guy did the SAME thing to the internet(Attempted to create a harmless worm, supposedly, but the worm reinfected systems, and became VERY bad), and became a world wide pariah and was thrown in jail.

      My father told me of a customer he once had that got a demo of an app. As I recall, they were an airline company. They were told that the app was NOT to be run past its deadline, or it would wipe the system. They liked the software, but did NOT want to pay. They sued the programmer and WON! It wiped the system EXACTLY as he promised.(Proof of concept FRAUD by the PLAINTIFF. Plantiff complained that they couldn't safely try to commit POC fraud!)

      Some jerks did the same to one of MY systems(Used a ROOTKIT to SPAM and to distribute ILLEGAL MOVIE CONTENT), *****AND***** violated many copyright laws, My host laughed at the prospect and wouldn't even give me the needed logs for evidence. They wanted ME to pay. I forget why I even paid, but it is LUDICROUS!

      Isn't it incredible how fair the legal system is(SARC)?

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    What we should all stop and think about is that the corruption in our justice system has become so hard-core and widespread that these types of incidences are going to just continue to escalate until we demand a clean up of the system. Perhaps not everyone will be frail enough to kill themselves over it, but where there is no rule of law being practiced anymore, we can count on any foible, no matter how trivial, to be hammered on until all justice folds. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

    I would hope this tragic death will help people realize exactly how traumatizing our "justice" system has become and fight to get the law against excessive punishment back again - and yeah, it's gone. The NDAA takes everything from us.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rick B
    Another case of an overly-zealous prosecutor who cares more about what he can legally charge people with rather than what is the right thing to do. The prosecutor didn't kill him but he sure didn't help any either.

    It smacks of the cases where DNA has proven that someone in prison is innocent but the damned prosecutor won't push for their release because he or she wants to drag them through the six months to a year of process that our ridiculously complicated legal system demands.

    I just saw a female District Attorney on TV a few weeks ago who said that a convicted rapist who had been found innocent by DNA evidence could still be the rapist. She said that he may have used a condom and the victim also had unprotected sex someone else. When the reporter pointed out that the DNA sample matched a man previously convicted of rape who was unknown by the victim, the DA said that those issues would have to be dealt with in the courts! Can you believe that? And they wonder how Lawyers get such a bad reputation!

    Luckily, the Governor of the State pardoned the guy.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Maybe over-prosecuted - maybe not. That's why there's an investigation.

      One thing I didn't know initially was the lengths to which Swarz went to hack this site. His IP was blocked, so changed IPs. His computer was blocked, so bought another computer. Access from outside was blocked so he broke in and worked from a closet.

      Of course, Julian Assange is inserting himself with claims that Swarz "may have been" a contributor to Wikileaks. Typical for Assange to try to grab the spotlight for himself by claiming he was the real target.
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        Of course, Julian Assange is inserting himself with claims that Swarz "may have been" a contributor to Wikileaks. Typical for Assange to try to grab the spotlight for himself by claiming he was the real target.
        Indeed. :p

        Oxford students to protest at Assange 'visit' | Education | guardian.co.uk
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          Good link - I'm glad to see people are getting wise to this guy's antics
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          Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
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          Please do not 'release balloons' for celebrations. The balloons and trailing ribbons entangle birds and kill wildlife and livestock that think the balloons are food.
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  • Profile picture of the author CBusiness
    All Laws are meant to be broken.

    Why?

    Simple. We aren't even taught them through life. Therefore, how can we be responsible for breaking them?

    What time in public schooling were you taught law? LOL think about it.

    Though i know people will argue this til' blue in the face... all I know is the strings are powerful that control this show we call society.

    Most people dont know that if caught urinating outside by an officer.. even if in a random field in nowhere some states.. you're a sex offender for life........... You can't walk a Giraffe or Hyena down the street in some states... we have laws that hold NO PURPOSE but to find a reason to take down those offending the wealthy.

    people are dumb........ people will forever take was is given to them......... the sad part about a kid like this... the fools he fought for will be the same ones on this forum that are disrespecting him, selling the future there kids will have to live in along with their own soul.

    I swear, I dont know what our parents did/do different to create us but those bad decisions are so obvious in many..................... we know better and still decided not to do better

    And even knowing such things............. sucks........... that is where great depression comes in because we realize the world will never change and one might wish to see what's on the other side, which many of us bravely believe in.

    And instead of going to the 'dark side' where nice houses, luxuries, etc exist.... some might just say screw it...... i'd rather die... quite brave
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  • Profile picture of the author Sumit Menon
    Here's the press release by the prosecutor -

    Daily Kos: Carmen Ortiz's Shameful Press Release

    From the article -

    If Ortiz thought Swartz only deserved to spend 6 months in jail, why did she charge him with crimes carrying a maximum penalty of 50 years? It’s a common way of gaining leverage during plea bargaining. Had Swartz chosen to plead not guilty, the offer of six months in jail would have evaporated. Upon conviction, prosecutors likely would have sought the maximum penalty available under the law. And while the judge would have been unlikely to sentence him to the full 50 years, it’s not hard to imagine him being sentenced to 10 years.
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  • Profile picture of the author Meg_Meyer
    So Sad.

    A lot of good it does him now...

    US court drops charges on Aaron Swartz days after his suicide
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    • Profile picture of the author Sumit Menon
      Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

      One thing I didn't know initially was the lengths to which Swarz went to hack this site. His IP was blocked, so changed IPs. His computer was blocked, so bought another computer. Access from outside was blocked so he broke in and worked from a closet.
      Not true. He didn't "hack" so to say. He merely circumvented the system. Here's an article by an expert from the case -

      The Truth about Aaron Swartz’s “Crime” « Unhandled Exception

      I know little about US law but from what I've read, there was no reason to make this a federal crime. And you charge someone with 35 years (and a million dollars) and give them a six month plea deal? When was the last time that happened? And even when the deal was offered, why did he have to plead guilty to felony? Why not mis-demeanour?

      I'm not saying the prosecutor is solely responsible for his death and she probably didn't want him dead either. He was responsible for his own actions. But, she played a part. And from the looks of it, for her own selfish reasons. For that she needs to go.

      Originally Posted by Meg_Meyer View Post

      So Sad.

      A lot of good it does him now...

      US court drops charges on Aaron Swartz days after his suicide
      I'm sure people wouldn't have been very happy if the government was spending taxpayers money to prosecute dead people.
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