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Source: ALJAZEERA

Scholars break down paywalls to honour activist Aaron Swartz, igniting debate over academic freedom.

Academics in the United States and worldwide are paying tribute to internet activist Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide on Friday. Scholars tweeted out links to their published work, using #pdftribute.

Swartz, a long-time advocate of internet freedom, worked to increase open access on the web and helped lead the charge against the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). He was facing the prospect of a million dollar fine and a long jail sentence for allegedly stealing millions of academic articles at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Many professors and researchers posted links to their own academic work on Twitter. A full list can be found at pdftribute.net.

Read more: http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201301142335-0022478

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Sign the petition:

Remove United States District Attorney Carmen Ortiz from office for overreach in the case of Aaron Swartz.

A prosecutor who does not understand proportionality and who regularly uses the threat of unjust and overreaching charges to extort plea bargains from defendants regardless of their guilt is a danger to the life and liberty of anyone who might cross her path.

Created: Jan 12, 2013, signatures as of Jan 14, 2013: 15,721

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/remove-united-states-district-attorney-carmen-ortiz-office-overreach-case-aaron-swartz/RQNrG1Ck

http://lessig.tumblr.com/post/40347463044/prosecutor-as-bully