Drama Over Including Gays in Immigration Reform

Staff / Truthdig Feb 1, 2013 Though President Obama is trying to find a place for gay binational couples in his immigration reform plan, Republicans such as Sen. Lindsey Graham just won't have it; as a tribute to the late Aaron Swartz, MIT should make academic articles free to the public; meanwhile, new studies show that urbanites have developed neural responses that keep them constantly on the lookout for danger. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Anonymous Retaliates for Swartz’s Suicide

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 27, 2013 Members of Anonymous, a collection of digital pranksters working for democracy in the dark places of the Web, said Saturday that they had hijacked the site of the U.S. Sentencing Commission as well as a trove of sensitive documents to take revenge for the death of Internet freedom advocate Aaron Swartz. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Hacktivism: Civil Disobedience or Cyber Crime?

By Christie Thompson, ProPublica Jan 19, 2013 Internet activist Aaron Swartz was facing up to 13 felony counts and 50 years in prison at the time of his death. His alleged crime? Pulling millions of academic articles from JSTOR. Swartz’s downloads were criminalized under the federal CFAA, an act designed to prosecute hackers. But as his case demonstrates, you don’t necessarily have to be a hacker to be viewed as one by federal law. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Prosecuting Prosecutorial Abuse

Staff / Truthdig Jan 18, 2013 Massachusetts' US Attorney Carmen Ortiz and Assistant U Attorney Stephen Heymann must be held accountable for their actions during their prosecution of the late Internet activist Aaron Swartz; in China, a father hired online "assassins" to kill his son's avatar in an attempt to save his real life; meanwhile, the U is giving the Afghan government a fleet of drones These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Aaron Swartz and the Freedom to Connect

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Jan 18, 2013 Aaron Swartz wanted nothing more than to change the world. He was doing just that until he ended his own life, at the age of 26, on Jan. 11. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

MIT Refused to Accept Swartz Plea Bargain, Lawyer Says

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 17, 2013 A lawyer for Aaron Swartz -- the 26-year-old programmer and open-Internet activist who reportedly committed suicide Friday under pressure from threat of prosecution -- says MIT refused to endorse a deal that would have granted Swartz probation or deferred prosecution. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Newest Phenomenon in Israeli Politics

Staff / Truthdig Jan 16, 2013 Naftali Bennett, a "forty-year-old settlement leader, software entrepreneur, and ex-Army commando," is the face of Israel's new religious right, and he's ready to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a run for his money; a woman stole a train in Sweden and crashed it into an apartment building; meanwhile, although Jodie Foster's coming out speech certainly made a statement, some LGBT activists argue she should have done so sooner. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Anonymous Honors Aaron Swartz by Hacking MIT

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Jan 15, 2013 In its tribute to Internet activist Aaron Swartz posted on MIT's website, the hacktivist collective said it wanted to use "this tragedy to be a basis for reform of computer crime laws, and the overzealous prosecutors who use them." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Africa, Here We Come

Staff / Truthdig Jan 14, 2013 The U.S. Army presence is rapidly increasing in Africa, especially in countries with alleged ties to al-Qaida; according to Fox News, teaching children algebra is just another liberal ploy; meanwhile, some researchers have started studying the effects of the "natural experiment" resulting from China's one-child policy. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Aaron Swartz

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jan 13, 2013 Was Aaron Swartz, beloved friend, activist and computer programmer, a casualty of the U.S. government’s vigorous campaign to silence champions of Internet freedom?Was Aaron Swartz, beloved friend, activist and computer programmer, a casualty of the government’s campaign to silence champions of Internet freedom? Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )