The one who could change the world

Aaron Swartz (1986-2013) was a computer programmer, essayist and hacker-activist. Convinced that access to knowledge is the best tool for emancipation and justice, he devoted his life to the defense of "free culture". He notably played a decisive role in the creation of Reddit, RSS feeds, in the development of Creative Commons licenses or during demonstrations against the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) bill, which aimed to restrict freedoms on the Internet. In the course of his various battles, he wrote an impressive number of articles, conference texts and political pamphlets, some of which are collected here. The adolescent, who was already a brilliant free thinker, gradually gives way to the adult, always more engaged, speaking out on subjects as varied as politics, computers, culture or education, and announcing many issues discussed today. Torn between his ideals and intellectual property laws in the United States, harassed by the FBI following a lawsuit against him, Aaron Swartz died at the age of 26. Aaron Swartz, Lawrence Lessig