The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz
Opening with the news of Internet "hacktivist" Aaron Swartz's untimely death at the age of 26, "The Internet's Own Boy" traces the rise and fall of a tech industry prodigy. Interviews with his friends and loved ones paint a portrait of Swartz as a martyr of freedom of information and hail his fight for the public's right to access tax-funded academic and scientific research, culminating in a personally devastating two-year Federal lawsuit.
Having developed RSS technology at the age of fourteen Swartz was embraced by tech leaders at the top of their fields including Cory Doctorow and Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig. Affable and baby-faced, Swartz was a frequent presenter at conferences and participated in academic pursuits at top-level universities throughout his teenage years. He established himself as a force to be reckoned with as co-founder of Reddit, one of the largest social media and news aggregator sites online to this day. Despite a profitable job offer at Conde Nast, Swartz rejected corporate culture in favor of pursuing a democratic Internet in the interest of information sharing over profit.
An avid researcher who had previously accessed otherwise private databases, Swartz, acting "in the grand tradition of civil disobedience to declare... opposition to this private theft of public culture" used MIT computers to access tax-funded research that would otherwise be held privately by for-profit publishers, an incident many viewers may remember from national headlines just a few year ago. Though neither MIT nor the digital repository Swartz accessed pressed charges, a US Attorney stepped in and filed a 13-count felony charge against Swartz, threatening him with over $1 million in fines and up to 35 years of jail time.
The case drew unwanted media attention to Swartz, skewing him as a hacker and pirate instead of a liberator of information and defender of civil liberties. The Swartz we meet through the film, however, is an admirable, kind-hearted young man adored by his friends, family and collaborators. Passionate about addressing societal problems and deeply influenced by World Wide Web founder Tim Berners-Lee, who chose to share the Web freely instead of for-profit, the film paints Swartz as a maligned activist, wrongly presented to the public as a criminal for his efforts to release a information to the general population.
Despite the defense of his peers, these events launched Swartz into a two-year long downward spiral of withdrawal and depression. The film highlights the impact technology has on society's access to information, the amount of control for-profit entities and the government dictate over this access, and ultimately questions whether Swartz's efforts proved him to be defeated or victorious at the end of his life, though his impact on the open access movement is undeniable either way.
I never cry watching movies, I actually cried with this documentary.
I have always been fascinated with this film and the sto
BAFFLED! SUCH A GENIUS! We do miss you young man. Thank to you.
too bad he isnt around today to straighten out the current election hack
Takes you’re breath away by the sadness and loss of such a bright young mind. If only there could have been another way. Knowing things I know now, not even 100% it was suicide. If only he knew how much he was supported. What could have been...
Aaron Hillel Swartz - formerly named Charles Michael Frasier. Went to third grade with him in Baltimore, Maryland. Met him again at Whitman College in W(sub)3 Washington. Not sure who broke his teeth there. I think he fell into the keyboard... but the ROTC was around, if you know what I mean. :-/
Loved him. Still do. <3
I've never seen so many Jewish people in one documentary. This whole film reeks of Zionism.
Your comment here. Be cool. Kinda like a contradiction, being as to the nature of the documentary. Say what you like, but he nice. THAT is exactly how we got to where we are !!! Rather speak my piece, than walk around a brain dead zombie.
Best documentary I've ever watched! Shows clearly how a rich corrupt lying and deceiving government can twist and turn laws out of context to prose it's the innocent while the rich fat cats on board with corporations pay politicians to benefit them and and themselves! ABOMINATION! Go castrate yourself on the fence at 1600! We have the finest government that money can buy! F*ck your freedom! Act now or forever shut your mouth. NAZIS in government, who knew? God bless Aaron Swartz, and the idea he was chasing!
really great documentary. that prosecutor should be punished for pressing such a useless case. just because you work for the "justice system" doesn't mean you're right. they have all committed a more serious crime then Aaron (not that he even committed a crime) by causing his death. I hope they get some sort of comeuppance somehow in their sorry lives. btw I will never pay for a damn journal article. I'll just look for another way. indeed knowledge should be shared and should not be used for profit. poor Aaron.
Smart kid, could have made a big difference if he would have obeyed the law's rather than to steal and break laws so that he could oppose things he did not like. We must work within the law, change lawmakers, one by one, but me, I am a moderate to conservative, I am not a anarchist, he could have prevented his problems.
Critical narratives are repeatedly obscured by soundtrack.
Seems to me the govt is fond of disobeying The Constitution each one of them swears to uphold. Specifically "Equal treatment under the law" when they decide the cops are allowed to lie to you but not you to them.
In other words anyone in govt should be put in jail for lying since that is what their police agencies aim to do to you if they catch you even mistakenly not remembering things correctly. Hold them to The Constitution they swear to uphold. That they use for toilet paper most days unless it is convenient to cite.
Where are the retired lawyers who are tired of govt lying to them? Nowhere, since most of them made a living out of lying, just like the govt. How sad and sick is that.
Unfortunately he didn't do his research into the law and legal system nor reach out to those who had overcame it or endured it or ran from it before it was too late. He may have discovered that Agents of the govt are allowed to lie to you but you are not allowed to lie to them. Seems It can be overwhelming when the govt and courts threaten you. Especially at a young age when you haven't seen much of it.
It isn't brave when you take your own life, if that is what happened. It is chosen preference to escape from perceived or real suffering. It seems he felt nothing could be gained by that suffering. It is likely that he believed the govt agents and thought he would be behind bars for a longer time than his current age, which to a young person seems MUCH longer than to an older person which time seems to fly by faster the older you get.
Wish someone would have been able to convince him to make a different choice. It seems Julian Assange made a good choice. Some who thought he was a rotten criminal have come around to be thankful.
As far as those who talk about rising up or whatever. I'll believe it when I see it. How long has this docu been on here now? My direct experience is that the vast overwhelming majority of people are not only do nothings but refusal to do anything but which makes them money or takes away their "free time". Ironically, they would have more actual {free} time returned, if they invested a bit of it wisely.
What ..An Incredible & Inspiring young man, Aaron Swartz Was & STILL IS !
God Bless You for how much YOU have Personally done for Everyone. R.I.P.
Thank you,
Jacqueline V.
@Lana he “stole” tax funded research that should’ve been available to the public. The American people did not consent to this private theft of public culture.
Absolute goosebumps...Salute you Aaron, in the highest regard
Started off at decent pace, but got bogged down with the minutiae and repetitiveness around his legal troubles, and ran way too long. I respect the strong feelings people have for him, but in my mind, and after enduring a very long documentary about him, I'm left feeling he has been overrated.
This is such an upside down world, we need people like him to enlighten us, literally bring us into the light. This is a brain drain of epic proportions! @Lana-Whatever
Very biased doc. The guy was caught on video breaking into a computer closet at MIT and stealing a hard drive, then creating code that thousands of documents from a paid subscription-only service. These weren't accidents, these were deliberate actions, and he didn't want to face the consequences after he got caught. He had no problem with theft and wire fraud--until he got caught.
Heros are people who do brave actions without benefit to them, in spite of the risks, knowing very well they may face tough consequences, not rip off the hard work of other people and then act shocked when there is a punishment.
This story reminded me of Dr David Kelly who was driven to suicide because he did not think there was a case for war with Iraq. Wikipedia Dr David Kelly and the second paragraph is evidence enough how low these people in power will stoop.
Wonderful documentary. So sad. A true hero.
R.I.P Aaron Swartz, you was the best internet boy ever. It is a shame that you dyed so young, you could contribute a lot to the world with your ideas, to make a better world but unfortunately the real values are never appreciated enough in this unfair world.I am sure your name will remain over the time and the people will always remember you and your contribution to make a better world. It is a brilliant documentary, must to be seen by people and learn a lot from this.
I don't know why this content is blocked for the US, considering it is about a US citizen and very recent events.
I must say this has been one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. Inspirational, informative and complete about someone very special who made so many changes that have affected everyone in the world and the technology we all use. It also demonstrates the abusive powers of our government and what they are allowed to do to destroy peoples lives without merit and abuse the system that no longer protects us.
This person was one that had so much to offer the world and so much has been lost due to his passing, such a waste of potential because of the severe backlash the government put onto this young man. He decided he was becoming more of a burden and was expendable and didn't want to burden his loved ones and the people who supported him any longer and that suicide was his only option. Such a damn shame our government is allowed to trample over us and drive people to these limits and have no responsibility or repercussions for doing so because they are afraid to admit they are wrong and people within the system are more worried and concerned about their careers than peoples lives. They have no problems using and exploiting their government power over those without them to destroy them indirectly and unfairly, completely unjustified, and have no repercussions from their actions from doing so.
We lost a brilliant and wonderful young man way before his time - the world lost one of the great ones among us and so much more was lost before his time. Many do not achieve a fraction of what this young man was able to do for us all in his short time.
R.I.P. Aaron Swartz, I'm sorry you were pushed into believing this was your only option left and I hope the pain and struggle is gone for you. You will not be forgotten by the many lives you have touched and the history you have written to open up millions to what our government is not only capable of doing to us all but what they continue to do to us and we will change it and make a difference. We shall meet again one day, may eternal peace be yours until that time arrives.