Computer whiz Aaron Swartz skirted the boundaries and ethics of Internet activism, passionately believing in the values of free expression and equal access as a fundamental tool for democracy. Directed by Brian Knappenberger, The Internet's Own Boy outlines the story of the price that Swartz paid for his beliefs. A child prodigy, Swartz taught himself to read at age 3, quickly "learning how to learn," and becoming fascinated with computers. Frustrated in school, where he constantly questioned the status quo, Swartz briefly attended Stanford before dropping out. A perfectionist who wanted to be taken seriously, Swartz became obsessed with the issue of copyright vs. the public interest, creating or joining many organizations, such as "Open Library," which advocated that a web page be created for every book, with information on where to buy or borrow the item. An early success led to a lucrative buyout and a brief stint at Conde Nast's Wired magazine, but the business world bored him. Always asking "who gets heard?", Swartz made the fateful decision to hack MIT computers, illegally downloading thousands of academic journal articles. Arrested and strip searched, Swartz was threatened with big fines and long jail time by authorities who decided to make him an example. Although Swartz's activities were illegal, there were no victims, and he had no expectation of financial gain. Fearing the "politics of fear and anger," Swartz hanged himself at age 26. The film interviews Swartz's brothers, parents, and girlfriends, who express confusion and anger at both the government and MIT. A provocative film about free speech in the Internet age, this is recommended. (S. Rees)
The Internet's Own Boy
Kino Lorber, 105 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95, Jan. 20 Volume 30, Issue 2
The Internet's Own Boy
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: