“The Internet's Own Boy” was engraved below the bust, according to the San Francisco Standard, adding that the 142-kilogram marble statue “was constructed using a mixture used to build artificial intelligence robots and traditional sculpture.”
It was unveiled Friday at the Internet Archive auditorium to a crowd of about 300. “Aaron’s legacy is bringing people together to make change happen,” said Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
“There’s a renaissance happening right now in Aaron Swartz-land,” said Lisa Rein, the co-founder of Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding public access to information.
He founded Aaron Swartz Day in 2013, an annual hackathon held on his birthday. There's also an Aaron Swartz Institute in Brazil, a documentary, several books and podcasts — even an Aaron Swartz memecoin (“Don't buy it,” he warned).
“It’s great that people idolize him as long as they get the story right: He wasn’t a witness,” Rein said, her eyes watering. He supported freedom of access to information, especially for scientific research — things the public had already paid for.”
The evening featured a series of video tributes, which Rein played on a large screen behind the stage. They included comments from science fiction author Cory Doctorow, members of the Aaron Swartz Institute in Brazil, and Cindy Cohn, the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation…
Emmett Shear, the former CEO of Twitch and a fellow at Y Combinator, was one of the few people who knew Swartz personally. “I’m glad he became an icon, he would approve,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “I really miss him.”
Starting next week, the bust will be moved to the Internet Archive lobby, where it will remain until Peniche secures permission to place it in a local park, said Evan Sirchuk, the Internet Archive's community and events coordinator.
“Aaron really means something to the San Francisco community,” Rein said. “He can continue to inspire generations — even those who weren’t alive then.”
George is still wondering what he is doing here….
