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MIT president expresses condolences for the loss of Aaron Swartz

L. Rafael Reif, MIT president, has issued a statement regarding the apparent suicide death of programmer and activist Aaron Swartz.

Reif said in his statement, courtesy of VentureBeat, “I want to express very clearly that I and all of us at MIT are extremely saddened by the death of this promising young man who touched the lives of so many. It pains me to think that MIT played any role in a series of events that have ended in tragedy.”

Reif also said that he would appoint MIT professor Hal Abelson to investigate and provide an analysis of MIT’s involvement in the alleged hacking charges that Swartz had been fighting for the last two years. “I have asked that this analysis describe the options MIT had and the decisions MIT made, in order to understand and to learn from the actions MIT took. I will share the report with the MIT community when I receive it.”

For more details on Aaron Swartz's death and the charges he was facing, go here.

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