DC memorial to honor Swartz and call for reforming hacking law

A public memorial will be held in Washington next Monday evening to honor Internet activist and programmer Aaron Swartz, who took his own life last month.

Swartz, a co-creator of social news website Reddit and a skilled programmer, was accused of stealing articles from a computer archive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and faced federal hacking charges from the Justice Department. His family said the aggressive charges against the 26-year-old — up to 35 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million — contributed to his death.

Last year Swartz made a name for himself in Washington by speaking out against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act on Capitol Hill. He was also the founder of Demand Progress, an advocacy group that was one of the leading opponents against the anti-piracy bills. The group continues to speak out against stringent Internet legislation and copyright rules. 

A notice about the memorial says it will honor Swartz's life and accomplishments, but it will also discuss reforming the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) in the wake of his death. In recent weeks, lawmakers have criticized the computer hacking law, which was used to indict Swartz, and argued that its vague language allows for draconian punishments.

Swartz's family and friends, including his father Robert Swartz and partner Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, and members of Congress will attend the memorial. Lawrence Lessig, a professor at Harvard Law School who briefly represented Swartz, and Demand Progress Executive Director David Segal will also be present.

Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is expected to attend, as well as Reps. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and other House members. The memorial will be held in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and is organized by Swartz's friends, with support from his family. 

Lofgren, who introduced a draft bill that would amend CFAA, and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have called for Congress to pass legislation this year to modernize the anti-hacking law. Meanwhile, the leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have asked Justice Department officials to brief them by Feb. 4 about the prosecution of Swartz.