Aaron Swartz’s Suicide Triggers Response from Top U.S. Lawmakers
Aaron Swartz, the brilliant and mercurial young programmer who killed himself in Brooklyn last Friday, was memorialized in his hometown of Highland Park, Ill., Tuesday, as the shockwaves from his death reached Washington, D.C. As Swartz’s friends were grieving in Chicago, several Capitol Hill lawmakers expressed sadness, shock and confusion over his death. One prominent U.S. lawmaker, Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), said she would introduce reforms to change the federal law at the heart of the case. In a bill called “Aaron’s Law,” Lofgren aims to amend the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), which Massachusetts prosecutors used to charge Swartz with over 30 years in prison. Swartz’s family has accused the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office with hounding the young activist over what they call a “victimless crime.” Specifically, Lofrgen’s bill would amend the existing law to distinguish between a terms of service violation and a federal data theft crime. “Lofgren’s ...
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capitol hill
cfaa
chicago
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d-ca
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harvard
highland
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jstor
lawrence
lessig
lofgren
lofrgen
massachusetts
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prosecution
reddit
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Aaron Swartz’s Suicide Triggers Response from US Lawmakers
Aaron Swartz, the brilliant and mercurial young programmer who killed himself in Brooklyn last Friday, was memorialized in his hometown of Highland Park, Ill., Tuesday, as the shockwaves from his death reached Washington, D.C. As Swartz’s friends were grieving in Chicago, several Capitol Hill lawmakers expressed sadness and confusion over his death. One prominent U.S. lawmaker, Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), said she would introduce reforms to change the federal law at the heart of the case. In a bill called “Aaron’s Law,” Lofgren aims to amend the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), which Massachusetts prosecutors used to charge Swartz with over 30 years in prison. Swartz’s family has accused the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office with hounding the young activist over what they call a “victimless crime.” Specifically, Lofrgen’s bill would amend the existing law to distinguish between a terms of service violation and a federal data theft crime. “Lofgren’s bill ...
aaron
act
activist
authorities
brooklyn
capitol hill
cfaa
chicago
confusion
d-ca
d-colo
government
harvard
highland
ill
internet
jared
jstor
lawrence
lessig
lofgren
lofrgen
massachusetts
mit
office
park
polis
prosecution
reddit
rep
sadness
service
swartz
violations
washington
zoe
HSBC to Pay $1.9B to Settle Probe
(WASHINGTON) — A law enforcement official says HSBC will pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering probe by federal and state authorities into Europe’s biggest bank. According to the official, the bank will pay $1.25 billion in forfeiture and pay $655 million in civil penalties. The $1.25 billion figure is the largest forfeiture ever in a case involving a bank. Under what is known as a deferred prosecution agreement, the bank will be accused of violating the Bank Secrecy Act and the Trading With the Enemy Act. The official spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the source was not authorized to speak about the matter on the record. The London-based bank says it is cooperating with investigations but that those discussions are confidential. –By PETE YOST
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