Aaron Swartz was a zealous young advocate for the free exchange of information and creative content online. He committed suicide in 2013 after being indicted by the US government for illegally downloading millions of academic articles from an online database. From the age of fifteen, when Swartz, a computer prodigy, worked with Lawrence Lessig to launch Creative Commons, to his years as a fighter for copyright reform and open information, to his work leading the protests against the Stop Online Piracy Act, to his posthumous status as a cultural icon. Justin Peters examines Swartz's life in the context of 200 years of struggle over the control of information.
The Idealist situates Swartz in the context of other ‘data moralists’ past and present, from lexicographer Noah Webster to eBook pioneer Michael Hart to NSA whistle blower Chelsea Manning.
A moving biography, and an essential look at the impact of the free culture movement on our daily lives and on generations to come.
The Idealist situates Swartz in the context of other ‘data moralists’ past and present, from lexicographer Noah Webster to eBook pioneer Michael Hart to NSA whistle blower Chelsea Manning.
A moving biography, and an essential look at the impact of the free culture movement on our daily lives and on generations to come.
