Join EFF to Celebrate the Life of Aaron Swartz

Join forces to honor the memory of Aaron Swartz on November 8, 2026, through a hackathon that will be both physical and virtual. The event, organized by the team behind Aaron Swartz Day, is backed by a coalition of groups dedicated to his cause, including the Internet Archive, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, Creative Commons, and the Free Law Project.

Aaron Swartz, a champion for digital rights, passed away in 2013 at the age of 26 after facing charges under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) for downloading academic articles from JSTOR. His death by suicide at such a young age was a tragic loss to the tech community. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which had a close relationship with Aaron, continues to stand by those who push the boundaries of technology through its Coders' Rights Project.

Participants in the hackathon can contribute to a variety of open-source and public-interest projects, such as Secure Drop, Open Library, Quantifying the Commons, Onion Press, and the Atlas of Surveillance. The EFF's Director of State Affairs, Hayley Tsukayama, will also be present at the event to provide guidance on navigating the Atlas of Surveillance.

Attendees of all skill levels are encouraged to take part, and the organizers are open to adding new projects and workshops. To propose a workshop or project, particularly an open-source project on GitHub, participants can reach out to Aaron Swartz Day organizers at aaronswartzday@gmail.com. For more information on how to attend this event in person or remotely, visit the Aaron Swartz Day and International Hackathon page at www.aaronswartzday.org.

The event is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST, with a social lunch from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM PST. The location for the in-person portion is the Internet Archive Headquarters, situated at 300 Funston Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118. Admission to the event is free, but RSVP is required.