Anonymous #OpAngel, Phase II

Operation Angel, began by Anonymous in response to the death of Aaron Swartz, successfully accomplished phase one of it's mission by preventing Westboro Baptist Church members from picketing Swartz's funeral. Anonymous is now preparing for a longer and more extensive battle within the U.S. legal system.

Aaron Swartz was essential to the progression of the Internet. He was renowned for his role in the development of RSS, Open Library and the creation of Reddit. Instead of capitalizing on his talents solely for personal gain, Aaron chose to dedicate his life to the defense of internet freedom and the preservation of civil liberties. At a time when America's educational system is ranked 17th in the world, he believed that knowledge should be made freely available to all who seek it. Before taking his own life, Aaron was facing up to 35 years in prison for acting on this belief.

The charges against Swartz are only one example of malicious prosecution by U.S. Attorney's in a history of unequaled viciousness against those accused of cyber crimes. It is clear that the punishment Swartz faced was not proportional to the crimes of which he was accused. We cannot pretend that our system is just when perpetrators of violence are dealt lighter sentences than those whose alleged crimes are essentially victimless. It is our conclusion that dubious laws such as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act serve only to provide prosecutors with the means to selectively target and unfairly punish online activists. Anonymous intends to continue Operation Angel with the goal of reforming these laws.

There are several actions planned to raise awareness of this issue and they are listed below:

1) Within the next week we will publicly endorse specific changes to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. While the introduction of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren's "Aaron's Law" is a step in the right direction, it may not go far enough.

2) Several online demonstrations will take place throughout the week leading up to the live protests. Multiple Anonymous groups have promised to down or deface officials website belonging to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Department of Justice, specifically the official websites of prosecutors in Aaron Swartz case.

3) On January 25th the voice of our grievances will transcend the world wide web and be present in the streets of D.C. and Boston. Anonymous protests will take place in D.C. at 600 Pennsylvania Ave (and Constitution Ave.) at 3pm EST. A simultaneous protest will take place at the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in Boston located at 1 Courthouse Way. Congresswoman Lofgren is encouraged to attend the D.C. demonstration and we will provide her a platform to discuss Aaron's Law.


Stay tuned to #OpAngel and @YourAnonNews for updates.

#OPAngel #Phase2 (Operation Angel: Phase Two) Press Release and Video. http://pastebin.com/r8ushvbW
DC Protest Poster: http://anonrelations.net/aaronprotest-737/
Boston Protest Details http://pastebin.com/Uzbf42tn