"For its part, JSTOR says it worked with Swartz’s lawyers to get the data back[...]"<p>Interesting way of putting it. I would have said "removing the data from his possession"
>The two MIT officers and Special Agent Pickett then tried to stop Swartz, who jumped off his bike and ran away, only to be caught and handcuffed by the Secret Service Agent, according to the report.<p>RUN FASTER. I really can't stress this enough. The reason he got caught is because he didn't run fast enough. If you're going to do stuff like this, LEARN TO RUN FAST. Cops are fat and slow. You can usually get away from them, especially in a place like MIT.<p><a href="http://i.imgur.com/2pMx2.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://i.imgur.com/2pMx2.jpg</a><p>Look at that kid! That is not a fast-looking person. Run faster, guys.
Sentencing a criminal to jail is theoretically supposed to be for the good of society. So in a case like this, they'd better ask themselves if society would ultimately benefit from having him behind bars.<p>The actual damage done here was negligible, especially considering the questionable locking-down of the content in the first place (i.e. maybe it should always have been free, and it was still valued at only $50,000 by the school, not $1 million). Swartz maybe did something stupid, but his ability to contribute to society is still far greater out of jail than in. There is also every bit of evidence to suggest that his <i>intent</i> is to contribute positively to society.<p>In other words, if he serves more than a few months in jail for this, or is actually asked to pay a million dollars, I will be incredibly disheartened by the "legal" system.
I feel safe knowing the Secret Service was on the case. Wouldn't want any of that published scientific knowledge falling into the hands of the public, after all.
Totally blowing things out of proportion. 35 years? Secret Service? Just for JSTOR data...it's unusual punishment<p>Everything Aaron does is out of good intentions. I know, I've worked with him before.<p>His crime isn't "borrowing" the data...it's getting caught.
35 Years seems a little over the top.<p>Gilbert Bland Jr traveled to university libraries around the country for years, stealing maps from irreplaceable antique books, by physically removing them with a razor blade. The total value of the maps that the FBI was eventually able to recover was over $500,000. In the end he paid $70,000 and served 17 months in prison.
Swartz is a genius. His writings are brilliant. This is just stupidity.<p>JSTOR didn't get those documents through magic or witchcraft. However they collected them, a motivated, brilliant millionaire genius might be able to collect them as well. If they are in the public domain, then he could distribute them for free. Or, he could run around hiding laptops at MIT, and get arrested. I guess the latter is probably more exciting and more likely to get you laid.<p>To be clear, I think it's obscene that they are prosecuting him for this, and I think it will get thrown out in the end. Maybe he just wanted to make a political statement to get the discussion rolling. Maybe he just doesn't give a fuck.
"Rogue Academic Downloader..." Strong title for someone who you claim "He is also a general friend of Wired.com" I guess you know your real friends when you get in trouble.
Someone should make a small, remote controlled rover with an IR light and an IR sensitive video camera, and a robotic arm. The arm is not tipped with a manipulator, but with a Cat5 plug. This rover will be paired with a quad-copter with enough power to deliver and retrieve the rover.
Anyone have access to <a href="https://floorplans.mit.edu/" rel="nofollow">https://floorplans.mit.edu/</a>, or otherwise know anything about room 004T in building 16? I'm curious about signage or locks.
Something is missing..<p>Why was a Secret Service Agent on campus in the first place?<p>Something is just not adding up as FBI has jurisdiction not Secret Service..<p>Plus, what is the other 2% that was downloaded that was not JSTROR stuff?<p>Or ie ah do some journalism before writing the article?