Aaron Swartz

Aaron Swartz was an American computer programmer and internet activist. He co-developed Reddit and RSS, as well as the online group Demand Progress. He died of an apparent suicide on January 11, 2013 at the... more +

Aaron Swartz was an American computer programmer and internet activist. He co-developed Reddit and RSS, as well as the online group Demand Progress. He died of an apparent suicide on January 11, 2013 at the age of 26.  At the time of his death, Swartz was facing federal criminal charges for wire and computer fraud. The charges stemmed from a 2010 incident, where he allegedly downloaded thousands of scientific journals from JSTOR via MIT's computer network in protest of JSTOR's compensation policies. If convicted, the charges carried a maximum prison term of 35 years.