Spiderman of Knowledge Sharing, Martyr of Open Access
If you are familiar with the origin story of the superhero Spiderman at all, you are familiar with the phrase “with great power comes great responsibility.” I recalled this phrase as I read the opening of Aaron Swartz’s Guerrilla Open Access Manifesto, stating “Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves.” There is truth to the notion that inequality exacerbates power discrepancies, and those most privileged are to be held responsible and accountable for the ownership of such power. For those who do not know of Aaron Swartz, he was a martyr of the Open Access movement, a young man who fought for social change and confronted both the economically privileged and governing institutions of our society. Swartz was heroic, his willingness to distribute mass information to the public which was solely accessible to the privileged put him at the forefront of a legal battle. Susceptible to imprisonment and large fines as a result of the case, his thoughts over these potential consequences were enough to outweigh his willingness to live.
This scenario epitomizes the essence of intellectual superiority and the privatization of knowledge. It is rather interesting that Aaron Swartz, was provided access to vast amounts of information due to his educational benefits and employment opportunities at big name technological corporations. But unlike others in the industry who had access to such content, he demanded the sharing of knowledge. He attempted to bridge the gap between the informed and uninformed. A world in which those in power seek to contain information and knowledge they possess exacerbates social disparities and regional inequalities along economic lines.
In some way, the American Dream, the idea that any citizen has the opportunity to attain mobility is undermined by those who in refuse to share their power. These remarks bring up the outdated nature of the American legal system and copyright terms. In my opinion, containing access of information from the public does not equate to the same degree as punishment for committing a major criminal or murderous offense. Although I agree with Swartz’s intentions, I find that his way to go about any sort of social change was rather ineffective. By upsetting corporations and the legal system, both systems reacted defensively. Fighting injustices by infringing on the law solely polarizes society further. Personally, the manifesto can do without calling out the public to make themselves legally vulnerable. As Swartz claims, “sharing isn’t immoral — it’s a moral imperative,” yet civil disobedience in support of this cause can be done without illegal criminal actions. Ronald Dworkin, a constitutional law scholar and philosopher accounts the distinct types of civil disobedience in his review titled On Not Practicing Civil Disobedience. Moreover, Dworkin argues against the unanimous prosecution of any form of civil disobedience, he believes that if the intentions of the individual are morally justified, prosecutors must reserve a certain degree of discretion do to their intentions. Dworking argues that individuals who disobey laws through civil disobedience should not be susceptible to the same consequences as those who lacked moral intent in their actions. Individuals like Aaron lack protection and instead face persecution. In the end, this cycle shall continue until institutional and corporate changes arise. And the cost of these moral amends? Priceless.
All in all, Aaron Swartz transformed his words and thoughts into action. Organizations such as Demand Progress have time and time again been highly effective in the furthering internet freedom and human rights. Advancements such as the establishment of Aaron’s law and the successes of activist movements prove the government and legal systems’ willingness to take steps in the right direction. Superheroes should not need to hide behind a mask nor act in the darkness for their cause. Aaron was the Spiderman of knowledge sharing, fighting injustices and defending his moral imperatives to make the land of the free even more free and us even more brave to follow in his footsteps.
