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Dec 18, 2025
Aaron Swartz: How a Brilliant Mind Was Broken by a Flawed American Justice System
Aaron Swartz was not an ordinary person. From a very young age, he was a computer prodigy. By the time he was 14 years old, he helped create RSS, the technology that lets you follow websites easily. He was a key part of building the popular website Reddit. He was also a strong voice in the fight to keep the internet open and free, famously helping to stop the restrictive SOPA and PIPA laws in America. Yet, at just 26 years of age, this brilliant mind took his own life. He did this while facing the terrifying prospect of spending decades in prison. His death on January 11, 2013, was a direct result of an American legal system that chose to crush a young activist instead of understanding his motives.