Summary: <p>In 2013, 26-year-old software developer and political activist <a href="http://www.rememberaaronsw.com/memories/" target="_blank">Aaron Swartz</a> died by suicide. He had been indicted on federal charges after illegally downloading 4.8 million articles from JSTOR, a database of academic journals, and potentially faced a million dollar fine and decades in jail. While his death made headline news, Swartz had long been an Internet folk hero and a fierce advocate for the free exchange of information. In his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Idealist-Swartz-Culture-Internet/dp/1476767726" target="_blank"><em>The Idealist</em></a>, writer <a href="https://twitter.com/justintrevett?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Justin Peters</a> places Swartz within the fraught, often colorful, history of copyright in America. Brooke talks with Peters about Swartz's legacy and the long line of "data moralists" who came before him.</p> <p><em>Music in this podcast extra:</em></p> <p><em>"Moss Garden" by David Bowie</em><em>"Heroes" by David Bowie; performed by The Meridian String Quartet</em><em>"Life On Mars?" by David Bowie; performed by The Meridian String Quartet.</em></p> <p><em>This segment originally aired in our January 15, 2016 program, "<a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/episodes/on-the-media-2016-01-15">Terms of Engagement</a>."</em></p>
