Aaron Hillel Swartz (1986–2013) was an American computer programmer, writer, entrepreneur, and internet activist who shaped open access, digital rights, and online activism. He played a key role in developing RSS, Markdown, and the Creative Commons licensing framework.
Born in Highland Park, Illinois, Swartz demonstrated exceptional technical skills early on. At 14, he co-authored the RSS 1.0 specification and later contributed to web.py, a Python-based web framework. He co-founded Reddit, later acquired by Condé Nast.
Beyond technology, Swartz was deeply engaged in activism. He co-founded Demand Progress, which fought against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA.) His advocacy for open access led him to download millions of academic papers from JSTOR, resulting in legal charges under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. His tragic death in 2013 sparked widespread debate on digital rights and internet freedom.
His works include Guerilla Open Access Manifesto (2008,) A Programmable Web: An Unfinished Work (2013,) Raw Thought, Raw Nerve (2016,) and The Boy Who Could Change the World: The Writings of Aaron Swartz (2016.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Aaron Swartz
Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves.
—Aaron Swartz
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