Hackers take over gov't website to avenge Swartz

Last Updated 12:47 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON The hacker-activist group Anonymous says it hijacked the website of the U.S. Sentencing Commission to avenge the death of Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who committed suicide.

The website of the commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch, was taken over early Saturday and replaced with a message warning that when Swartz killed himself two weeks ago "a line was crossed."

The message read in part:

Citizens of the world,
Anonymous has observed for some time now the trajectory of justice in the United States with growing concern. We have marked the departure of this system from the noble ideals in which it was born and enshrined. We have seen the erosion of due process, the dilution of constitutional rights, the usurpation of the rightful authority of courts by the "discretion" or prosecutors. We have seen how the law is wielded less and less to uphold justice, and more and more to exercise control, authority and power in the interests of oppression or personal gain."

The hackers say they've infiltrated several government computer systems and copied secret information that they now threaten to make public.

Family and friends of Swartz, who helped create Reddit and RSS, say he killed himself after he was hounded by federal prosecutors.

• Hundreds honor activist Aaron Swartz in NYC
• U.S. Attorney defends office's conduct in Aaron Swartz case
• Reddit co-founder's death fuels debate over computer crime
• Online activist, programmer Aaron Swartz dies

Officials say he helped post millions of court documents for free online and that he illegally downloaded millions of academic articles from an online clearinghouse.

By mid-morning Saturday the website was offline.

The FBI's Richard McFeely, executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, said in a statement that "we were aware as soon as it happened and are handling it as a criminal investigation. We are always concerned when someone illegally accesses another person's or government agency's network."

[kaylah40]

;People interested in the truth use many methods to expose it...Liberals aren't about ready to expose Washington and what it does willingly, what they do behind closed doors that the American people have no idea about. Is it wrong to expose a wrong these days? Is it wrong to want to know the Truth about what the government is up too? Are they above the law? I don't believe in stealing anything but sometimes and in this case if these documents expose a wrong in government why not allow the people to see them? All we ever get is what THEY want us to see and hear....Our freedoms are being taken as well as much money from us as they can get their hands on, we watch the things this government has been doing and we are in the dark, is it so wrong to shine a light on this? I don't believe so, I believe the American people have been in the dark for too long and that politicians are running this country into the ground and I for one would like to know what's going on....we EMPLOY them, not to hear lies but to hear truth and laws passed that will better our society, not laws that better the stand of the government to turn us into Drones to accomplish their purposes...so bring it on and let the American people be the judge!!

[tvwatcher5345]

so an unstable criminal commited suicide...what's the problem?

[rebelgroove]

Dumb and dumber ... guess which category you fit in ...

[gduell]

"TVWATCHER" says it all.

[WhereisOT]

"God" complex and then some...
Threats, intimidation, hacking, stalking, extortion...
Why haven't the brave ones looked into the inner workings of the nra...

[Type_Z]

Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel.

[Ambivalent11]

aintfakin says:

Hey kosmo.... the canyon appears to be the gap between your 2 functioning synapses


Dude you do the synapses thing far too often. But did you know Diane Feinstein is introducing legislation to ban certain types of keyboards and too much bandwidth.

[rwsmith29456]

Don't make folk heroes out of these anonymous guys. Stealing information to extort others (even if it is the government) is just plain wrong. That's just like someone that doesn't like me hacking my computer and threatening to spread my personal stuff all around.

[aintfakin]

got something to hide?

[djseavy]

There's quite a mixture of opinions here, and everyone brings good points to the table. I agree that our government has become entirely out of control, and if it continues, we're all going to see our rights eliminated so those in government can control and manipulate the rest of us. However, the way Anonymous handled their concerns wasn't appropriate. In fact, it will likely cause more regulation; something we're all against. They've given the government the fuel it needs to dream up some new and powerful legislation. There are many legitimate forums out there in which to advance its cause; rearranging the homepage of a government website isn't one of those. I'm not a sheep, as some will probably allege. I stand up for my rights and freedoms. We do need drastic change - nobody can argue otherwise. But the ends has to justify the means, and in this situation, the means may well backfire.

[FoundingFathersGhost]

According your logic, the American Revolution was inappropriate and we colonies should be using appropriate forums to advance our cause. Radicals, like them or not, move and change societies, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. The question is, when are their causes worthy of a revolution by the society as a whole?

[aintfakin]

Kosmoscanyon replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
@ REPUBLICANSAREIDIOTS: Thats cute you spoke your first words. Now go do your chores before Mommy and Daddy spank you!
----------------------------------------------------
Hey kosmo.... the canyon appears to be the gap between your 2 functioning synapses

[Sharlene_S]

Anonymous added quite a few new cheerleaders today. I join their voices in saying, resist, resist, resist! America has become a nation of mafia-run justice, where the mafia is the government. Anonymous gets that, and its members seem dedicated to striking back against the empire using whatever tools are available.

Now you know why Feinstein, Obama and Biden are trying to completely disarm the American population: They don't want people to be able to fight back against the massive rollout of dictatorial tyranny they have planned for America. But it's now apparent that the illegitimate criminals who are trying to take over America are facing resistance at every turn: information resistance, political resistance and even resistance by force if you believe some of the blogs people have posted where they swear they would rather die than give up their guns to the government.

I can't help but think the U.S. government has vastly underestimated its electronic vulnerabilities. It seems to be trying to roll out tyranny by following in the footsteps of people like Adolf Hitler, but it does not realize that the next revolution for freedom is likely to be an electronic revolution rather than a physical one. Guns are important for liberty, but principled hackers are the real game changers. Naturalnews

[AHSND]

Years back when RICO broke up mob family affiliations, my thoughts? Oh so now they will simply work 9-5? Nothing to worry about, ha. They went into finance....then gov IMO

[AHSND]

Oh, and foot soldiers into law, and short buss pervs-TSA

[Steanmer]

Ey,Anonymous why not investigate the big corporations and Billionaires what make this Politics Corrupt,Specially from the GOP and some Democratic Senators.

[quincytodd]

Well said, Steanmer. Thank you. Our right-wing politicians are far worse than these hackers are! At least these hackers aren't profiting at the misery of others like those thugs in Washington!

[AHSND]

So our very left leaning gov is exempt? As our African American pres tries to disarm public and seek justice for the handfull slain....oh, as 75% of all shooting are in gangland but no longer talked about.
See any gross contradiction in this 'liberal' thought? BTW I own no guns and have been liberal extreme for 30yrs.To avoid the pigeon holing our racist,back to the 50's segregated society holds.