THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY was always going to be a hard watch. For those familiar with the subject at its core the process serves as a reminder of the dangers of the online world and the machine behind it, and for those unfamiliar? The early ‘reveal’ is heartbreaking at best.
Opening with the sad news of Internet "hacktivist" Aaron Swartz's untimely death at the age of 26, the documentary traces the rise and fall of a tech industry prodigy. Interviews with his friends and family emphasise Swartz’s still very young career as a martyr of freedom of information, and they celebrate his brave fight for the public's right to access tax-funded academic and scientific research, culminating in an emotionally devastating two-year Federal lawsuit.
THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY was always going to be a hard watch. For those familiar with the subject at its core the process serves as a reminder of the dangers of the online world and the machine behind it, and for those unfamiliar? The early ‘reveal’ is heartbreaking at best.
Opening with the sad news of Internet "hacktivist" Aaron Swartz's untimely death at the age of 26, the documentary traces the rise and fall of a tech industry prodigy. Interviews with his friends and family emphasise Swartz’s still very young career as a martyr of freedom of information, and they celebrate his brave fight for the public's right to access tax-funded academic and scientific research, culminating in an emotionally devastating two-year Federal lawsuit.
A savant if ever there was one - he developed RSS technology at the age of fourteen - Swartz was embraced by tech leaders at the top of their fields and lauded throughout the industry by some of its key players. Easygoing and charming, Swartz was a frequent presenter at conferences and attended top-level universities throughout his teenage years in his pursuit of further study at a time when many hadn’t even finished high school. Professionally, he then established himself as a force to be reckoned with as co-founder of Reddit, one of the largest social media and news aggregator sites online to this day. Despite a truly impressive job offer from media giant Conde Nast, a baby faced Swartz chose to publically reject corporate culture in favour of pursuing a democratic Internet in the interest of information sharing over profit.
It is safe to say that Swartz’s ghost is all over the Internet, and that he pioneered some major innovations in the online world. But it was the young genius’ groundbreaking work in social justice and what has been called “political organising” combined with his quasi-aggressive approach to information access that saw him at the centre of a two-year legal nightmare that effectively broke him. It was a battle that ended with the taking of his life at the age of 26, leaving behind devastated yet proud loved ones.
Famous – and honest – about often accessing otherwise private databases, Swartz, acting "in the grand tradition of civil disobedience to declare... opposition to this private theft of public culture" used MIT computers to access tax-funded research that would otherwise be held privately by for-profit publishers. Though neither MIT nor the digital repository Swartz accessed pressed charges after the hack, a US Attorney stepped in and filed a 13-count felony charge against Swartz, threatening him with over $1 million in fines and up to 35 years in jail. And thus began an all-too-familiar David and Goliath tale, and a very public attack on an already fragile spirit.
http://www.rialtochannel.co.nz/films/type/view/id/4038/the-internet39s-own-boy
The case drew a crazy amount of unwanted media attention to Swartz, branding him a hacker and pirate – heavily loaded words to the general public - instead of his preferred liberator of information and defender of civil liberties. The documentary chooses to reveal the private Swartz instead: a strongly opinionated, extremely likeable and kind-hearted guy adored as much by his friends and family as those who worked with him. Emotional at times – some have criticised this point but I found no problem with it – the doco shows a brave young activist wrongly accused, painted as a criminal to the point where he could take no more.
When his two-year long downward spiral of withdrawal and depression lead to suicide, the true story began to emerge and touched a nerve that is destined to continue for many years to come. Watching this film and spreading the word is essential in keeping the work of Swartz alive.
THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY has been brought to Rialto Channel’s screen in association with the New Zealand Listener, so pick up the latest issue for more about this unbelievable tale of injustice.
