THE INTERNET’S OWN BOY Review

Release Date: June 27, 2014
Director: Brian Knappenberger
MPAA Rating: NR

Many people not steeped in the tech world may know who the prodigious Aaron Schwartz was, but Brian Knappenberger’s documentary, The Internet’s Own Boy, aims to shine a light on one of the most innovative and forward thinkers of this generation. In addition to being one of the creators of RSS and the popular information site Reddit, Schwartz was a strong believer in an Internet free from the bounds of corporate overlords. Although he tragically took his own life in 2013, his influence caused a ripple effect through policy changes and an outcry of support that the Internet should remain open to the world.

At only 14 years old, Schwartz helped develop RSS technology that many websites use to aggregate their data. Using this technology, one can view information from many websites at once, without having to visit each site to read their latest content. Working on such a huge, game-changing project at that early of an age pushed Schwartz into the spotlight, paving the way for him to create new, innovative ways we use the Internet.

He was the co-founder of Reddit, one of the most populated sites on the Internet. Reddit acts as a massive user-driven information site, covering everything from the latest world news to the ubiquitous silly cat photos. By spear-heading RSS and Reddit it was clear that Schwartz had a specific interest in the gathering and distribution of information, which is ultimately what got him in hot water.

Schwartz was a strong opponent of government and educational sites that offered free, public record information up for a price. He believed that everyone should be entitled to this information free of charge and he took it upon himself to begin gathering this information. MIT offered users of their network free access to the popular educational document site JSTOR, which houses thousands of scholarly papers and journals. Schwartz developed a script that would automatically download these documents all at once, however this was frowned upon and he was arrested and charged on thirteen felony counts. He was facing up to 35 years in prison. As he looked at the situation, there was no way he could avoid the jail time, so before his trial he ended his own life.

The film chronicles Schwartz’s life through interviews with his peers, family members, and friends, but it also looks at the subject of the Internet itself and the Government’s involvement in policing how we use this invaluable tool. It breaks down the various projects Schwartz was involved in, such as the creative commons license, and helps those unfamiliar understand how these things affect our everyday usage of the web. All this information is presented in an easy to digest format, making it palatable for even the less tech-savvy viewers.

It also looks at Schwartz’s involvement in the campaign against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), which was quashed due to the overwhelming public outcry against it. Laws like this and the recent Net Neutrality bills gracing the desks of lawmakers are a threat to everyone who freely uses the Internet, and that was something Schwartz was able to convey to the masses. Coincidentally, it was an old law from 1986, drafted after the film Wargames was released, that was used when prosecuting him.

The Internet’s Own Boy is not just about Aaron Schwartz the man, but it’s about everything he fought for regarding the Internet and how we use it today. It’s sad to think about all the good he could have done for us as a society, but we can take some consolidation in knowing his influence has remained strong even after his untimely death.