Internet activist Aaron Swartz commits suicide

26-year-old Internet freedom activist Aaron Swartz hanged himself in his New York apartment. His body was found Friday, January 11. At the age of 14, he co-authored an early version of RSS, which allows users to subscribe to online information, and then later became a co-owner of social news site Reddit. He was likewise advisory board director of Demand Progress, an organization that fights for Internet freedom. In July 2011, Swartz was charged with illegal access and data theft when he downloaded 4.8 million articles and documents from JSTOR or Journal Storage, the journal archiving service of literary and scientific journals. He faced potential penalties of up to 35 years in prison and $US1 million in fines. The New York Times reported that Swartz had spoken about having suicidal thoughts and had written about struggling with depression. His impending trial pushed him to exhaustion, friends said. His death sparked anger among supporters who questioned a criminal justice system fraught with intimidation.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Public reaction to Swartz’s death is on Rappler.