The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013) • Hacker News Board

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#41

Post by hutzlibu » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:36 PM UTC

pm90 wrote: post #33

NoGravitas wrote: post #30

> It is commonly assumed that the debate over what Swartz did, and, more generally, the debate over whether information does or does not want to be free, is between hacker culture and copyright culture, young people and old people, but this is not true. On the Hacker News site in the fall of 2012, many commenters disagreed with what he’d done, and argued with his supporters on the site that in a nation ruled by laws…

> Or, possibly, Hacker News doesn't represent hacker culture, but finance-adjacent right-wing techbro culture, which knows perfectly well which side of the copyright issue its bread is buttered on. Spot on. I like HN for certain topics, but it’s by no means representative of the Hacker culture. Even the name seems like duplicitous marketing at best. As an example, the topic of immigration will bring out the nastiest…

"As an example, the topic of immigration will bring out the nastiest takes and opinions (and straight up racism)."

Well, I would argue, that hackers can also be nasty racists.

I mean sure, by my definition the hacker spirit is open minded by definition. But people with a open mind, are also open for some very weird to disgusting ideas.

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#42

Post by pdonis » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:36 PM UTC

photochemsyn wrote: post #18

This article carefully avoids any analysis of the reasons why MIT chose to persecute Aaron Swartz. Here's a quick take on the actual situation, off the top of my head: "The Darker Side of MIT and the Academic Publishing Industry" While the Internet has been hailed from its inception as a tool that would open up access to information for the whole world, the reality has not matched that expectation. Much of the most i…

> it's at first glance hard to understand why MIT - one of America's leading federally-financed research institues - chose to persecute Aaron Swartz for downloading the jstor archive

It didn't. Read the Abelson report (which has been discussed ad nauseam in past HN threads). MIT did not want Swartz prosecuted, and told the prosecutor that. The prosecutor chose to go after Swartz anyway. MIT's error was that they didn't push back harder on the prosecutor (for example, by making a clearer public statement along the lines of the one JSTOR made, that since the stolen data was returned, no further action was necessary or desired).

> Clearly the MIT administration wanted to make an example of Swartz

No, it didn't. It just made an error of judgment (described above). It had nothing against Swartz and was not trying to make an example of him. The Federal prosecutor was the one trying to do that.

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#43

Post by tiahura » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:37 PM UTC

rcoveson wrote: post #27

Alexandra Elbakyan is still alive and well, and Sci-Hub is going strong. Swartz' prosecution and persecution were totally pointless. Copyright is unenforceable.

Persecution? He broke the law and was likely to get a slap on the wrist.

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#44

Post by Mikhail_K » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:39 PM UTC

honkdaddy wrote: post #7

Refreshingly well-researched and honest piece from the New Yorker. My favourite writing by Aaron is his explanation of what happens in the "ending" of Infinite Jest. [1] I'm of the opinion DFW deliberately left it somewhat open to interpretation, and that his famous quote "If no such convergence or projection occurred to you, then the book’s failed for you" was a tad tongue in cheek. That said, Aaron's explanation is…

> Refreshingly well-researched and honest piece from the New Yorker.

My impression is quite the opposite. This piece by Larissa MacFarquhart was a contemptible whitewash of government bullies. "New Yorker" is squarely in the corner of intelligence agencies and law enforcement and against the people, and not just in this particular case.

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#45

Post by tiahura » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:40 PM UTC

brainzap wrote: post #12

I was reading through Aarons blog this week, like his writing style. http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/semmelweis

The anecdote about the pariahing of the doctor advocating chlorinated lime would be a clever retort from a qook to a lib about ivermectin.

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#46

Post by pm90 » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:41 PM UTC

ciphol wrote: post #38

pm90 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Or, possibly, Hacker News doesn't represent hacker culture, but finance-adjacent right-wing techbro culture, which knows perfectly well which side of the copyright issue its bread is buttered on. Spot on. I like HN for certain topics, but it’s by no means representative of the Hacker culture. Even the name seems like duplicitous marketing at best. As an example, the topic of immigration will bring out the nastiest…

Why assume that "hacker culture", whatever exactly that is, is immune to racism?

Maybe it isn’t. My understanding of Hacker ethos has been that of a curiosity driven by truth seeking of any system (not just technological). Racism seems like lazy conventional thinking, so it seems prima facie to be incoherent with that culture.

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#47

Post by senko » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:43 PM UTC

tiahura wrote: post #43

rcoveson wrote: post #27

Alexandra Elbakyan is still alive and well, and Sci-Hub is going strong. Swartz' prosecution and persecution were totally pointless. Copyright is unenforceable.

Persecution? He broke the law and was likely to get a slap on the wrist.

> he was facing 13 felony charges and up to 50 years in prison[0]

Pretty hard slap, that.

[0]https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/why-did-...

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#48

Post by mkr-hn » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:44 PM UTC

tiahura wrote: post #43

rcoveson wrote: post #27

Alexandra Elbakyan is still alive and well, and Sci-Hub is going strong. Swartz' prosecution and persecution were totally pointless. Copyright is unenforceable.

Persecution? He broke the law and was likely to get a slap on the wrist.

Says who? He didn't get to have a trial to determine this because the prosecutor backed him into a corner with threats of excessive punishment.

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#49

Post by jancsika » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:45 PM UTC

rcoveson wrote: post #27

Alexandra Elbakyan is still alive and well, and Sci-Hub is going strong. Swartz' prosecution and persecution were totally pointless. Copyright is unenforceable.

No post body was provided.

Re: The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

#50

Post by tiahura » Thu, Dec 30, 2021, 6:56 PM UTC

mkr-hn wrote: post #48

tiahura wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Persecution? He broke the law and was likely to get a slap on the wrist.

Says who? He didn't get to have a trial to determine this because the prosecutor backed him into a corner with threats of excessive punishment.

Says the judge when you admit to what you did and plead. He’s the same one that gave Lori Laughlin and Mossimo 6 months in minimum security “camp” and not the bazillion years the prosecutor originally threatened.