Disappointing Unsealing Decision in Aaron Swartz Case | Hacker News Reader

Disappointing Unsealing Decision in Aaron Swartz Case

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162 pointsgeekam7 comments

Another perspective: http://tech.mit.edu/V133/N26/swartz.html Swartz's lawyers initially sought complete release of information with no redaction of identifying information (including SSNs and Birthdates see: Pre-motion statements and the actions regarding maintenance of certain records they were obligated to destroy at the end of the prosecution). Clearly balance is needed and the employees of the victims in a criminal prosecution (JSTOR, MIT) deserve reasonable protection.

edit: Minor increase in clarity, re:reply

> Swartz's lawyers initial asked for release of information with no redaction of identifying information (including SSNs and Birthdates)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/130617538/Swartz-Motion-to-Modify-...

> ... redaction of the ... Social Security numbers, and birthdates of individuals ... Defense counsel agrees that redaction of this specific personal information is appropriate.

After the Boston bombings it's pretty apparent that the Reddit community alone will jump to some dangerous conclusions without the full story - and in this case specifically that would be a major concern of mine. So where do we actually find the middle line and balance here?

Middle line and balance? If it would have become public record at trial, it should become so now. How can one argue that Aaron's death should cause less detail of the prosecution to be made available?

Because it's no longer going to trial.

Lots of details of your life would be made public if you were brought to trial, but since you're presumably not going to trial, they aren't.

Just because something would happen if something else did happen doesn't mean that that something should happen regardless.

Reddit didn't go off of information that wasn't already being passed around on the police scanners and Twitter. Their guessing game was just much more public than others'.

> Pre-motion statements and the actions regarding maintenance of certain records they were obligated to destroy at the end of the prosecution

Could you give me a docket number or link?

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