Aaron Hillel Swartz (November 8, 1986 – January 11, 2013) was an American computer programmer, entrepreneur, writer, political organizer, and Internet hacktivist. He was involved in the development of the web feed format RSS and the Markdown publishing format, the organization Creative Commons, the website framework web.py and the social news site Reddit, in which he became a partner after its merger with his company, Infogami.
Swartz's work also focused on civic awareness and activism. He helped launch the Progressive Change Campaign Committee in 2009 to learn more about effective online activism. In 2010, he became a research fellow at Harvard University's Safra Research Lab on Institutional Corruption, directed by Lawrence Lessig. He founded the online group Demand Progress, known for its campaign against the Stop Online Piracy Act.
Quotes
“Creativity comes from applying things you learn in other fields to the field you work in.”
“a piece of knowledge, unlike a piece of physical property, can be shared by large groups of people without making anybody poorer.”
“Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. What people say intelligence just boils down to curiosity.”
Software Developments
- Open Library
- Markdown
- Tor2web
- DeadDrop
