Leo Rafael Reif, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, announced in a statement Sunday that the school will be conducting an investigation of its involvement in the case of Aaron Swartz, the 26-year-old programmer and digital rights activist who committed suicide in his New York City apartment Friday.
"Now is a time for everyone involved to reflect on their actions, and that includes all of us at MIT," Reif wrote. "I have asked Professor Hal Abelson to lead a thorough analysis of MIT's involvement from the time that we first perceived unusual activity on our network in fall 2010 up to the present. I have asked that this analysis describe the options MIT had and the decisions MIT made, in order to understand and to learn from the actions MIT took."
Lief added that he will share the report publicly once it has been completed.
Swartz, who believed deeply in the principle of open information, was charged with computer fraud and other crimes in July 2011 after sneaking into an MIT network closet to free academic research from JSTOR. Swartz's charges carried a sentence of up to 35 years in jail and $1 million in fines.
JSTOR later dropped its civil charges, but MIT was opaque about its wishes. The U.S. Attorney's office decided to pursue the case, which was scheduled to begin this spring.
Some of those who have commented on Swartz's suicide have put varying degrees of the blame on MIT — something Lief acknowledged in his statement.
"I want to express very clearly that I and all of us at MIT are extremely saddened by the death of this promising young man who touched the lives of so many," Reif wrote.
"It pains me to think that MIT played any role in a series of events that have ended in tragedy."
"It pains me to think that MIT played any role in a series of events that have ended in tragedy."
Swartz was not a student at MIT.
Many of the world's top technology minds have spent their weekend eulogizing Swartz. Hundreds of academics and researchers from around the world have been posting their work online to memorialize him, using the Twitter hashtag #PDFtribute.
Read Reif's full statement, below:
To the members of the MIT community:
Yesterday we received the shocking and terrible news that on Friday in New York, Aaron Swartz, a gifted young man well known and admired by many in the MIT community, took his own life. With this tragedy, his family and his friends suffered an inexpressible loss, and we offer our most profound condolences. Even for those of us who did not know Aaron, the trail of his brief life shines with his brilliant creativity and idealism.
Although Aaron had no formal affiliation with MIT, I am writing to you now because he was beloved by many members of our community and because MIT played a role in the legal struggles that began for him in 2011.
I want to express very clearly that I and all of us at MIT are extremely saddened by the death of this promising young man who touched the lives of so many. It pains me to think that MIT played any role in a series of events that have ended in tragedy.
I will not attempt to summarize here the complex events of the past two years. Now is a time for everyone involved to reflect on their actions, and that includes all of us at MIT. I have asked Professor Hal Abelson to lead a thorough analysis of MIT's involvement from the time that we first perceived unusual activity on our network in fall 2010 up to the present. I have asked that this analysis describethe options MIT had and the decisions MIT made, in order to understand and to learn from the actions MIT took. I will share the report with the MIT community when I receive it.
I hope we will all reach out to those members of our community we know who may have been affected by Aaron's death. As always, MIT Medical is available to provide expert counseling, but there is no substitute for personal understanding and support.
With sorrow and deep sympathy, L. Rafael Reif.
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