Letters for Swartz
May 13, 2013
Letter to The Tech from Hal Abelson:
This is an update for the MIT community about the analysis President Reif asked me to lead last January on the events concerning MIT and Aaron Swartz. I’m preparing a report together with Institute Professor Emeritus Peter Diamond and Washington, DC attorney Andrew Grosso. We’re being supported by Assistant Provost Doug Pfeiffer. The four of us have been working hard. Given the visibility of the Aaron Swartz case and the controversies surrounding it, it’s important to get the report right and to take the necessary time and effort to do that. My plan is to give my report to President Reif this summer.
Letter to The Tech from L. Rafael Reif:
Professor Abelson has shared with me the letter that is published in this edition of The Tech. I write briefly to offer my thoughts on it.
From the time I asked Professor Abelson to conduct a thorough analysis of MIT’s involvement in events that preceded Aaron Swartz’s death in January, I have said that Professor Abelson must take whatever time he needs in order to complete his work, and I have given him the freedom to conduct his work as he sees fit. I am pleased to know that he is making good progress, and I look forward to receiving the report, sharing it with the public, and having a discussion in the fall within the MIT community about its implications.