After the suicide of open-Internet activist Aaron Swartz, Sen. John Cornyn,...
After the suicide of open-Internet activist Aaron Swartz, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is on the Judiciary Committee, questioned U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder about the Justice Department’s prosecution of Swartz for violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.…
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Swartz -- who downloaded millions of academic articles without authorization -- faced 35 years in prison and $1 million in fines as a result of the prosecution. “Mr. Swartz’s case raises important questions about prosecutorial conduct,” Cornyn wrote in a letter to Holder (http://1.usa.gov/VxJkOt). In the letter, Cornyn asked if “the prosecution of Mr. Swartz in any way retaliation for his exercise of his rights as a citizen under the Freedom of Information Act? If so, I recommend that you refer the matter immediately to the Inspector General."