Beyond Aaron Swartz: We Don’t Need Martyrs … But Changes # By Danah Boyd <http://www.wired.com/opinion/author/danahboyd/> # 01.16.13 # 6:30 AM Beloved internet and information activist Aaron Swartz <http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/01/aaron-swartz/> took his life a few days ago. Since then, the internet has been in a state of networked mourning as renowned digerati <http://boingboing.net/2013/01/12/rip-aaron-swartz.html> and freedom fighters <http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/01/aaron-swartzs-politics.html> share personal stories of Aaron alongside their rage and frustration. For while it was no secret that Aaron struggled with depression, it was also no secret that recent years have been particularly hellish: Exactly two years before his suicide on January 11, Aaron was arrested. Seven months later he was charged with a host of counts under <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/01/aaron-swartz-fix-draconian-computer-cr...> the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (among other statutes). The U.S. government actively pursued this case at a level disproportionate <http://lessig.tumblr.com/post/40347463044/prosecutor-as-bully> to the purported damage, using their position of authority to bully. As I wrote earlier <http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2013/01/13/aaron-swartz.html> in raw emotional form, I adored Aaron for all his brilliance and flaws, his passion and stubbornness. Although I, and others, are still struggling to make sense of the loss, his suicide raises a host of significant issues that need to be publicly discussed. Because like the other cases brought against hackers across the country, the case against Aaron isn’t just about technology providing new means for people to act independently and enact democracy. It isn’t even really about justice and national security. It’s about a broader, systemic battle. It’s about power. [...] Continua qui: http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/01/beyond-aaron-swartz-we-dont-need-martyr...