The feds also checked Swartz’s Facebook page, ran his name against the Department of Labor to figure out his work history, looked for outstanding warrants and prior convictions, checked to see if his mobile phone number had ever come up in a federal wiretap or pen register, and checked him against the records in a private data broker’s database.

Or, as the FBI report put it, the public records were "exfiltrated."

The Government Printing Office abruptly shut down the free trial and reported to the FBI that PACER was "compromised," the FBI file reveals.

"AARON SWARTZ would have known his access was unauthorized because it was with a password that did not belonged [sic] to him," reads the FBI report summarizing the judiciary’s position.

Swartz says his script only ran on the library computer. It didnt use a password at all, but used the PACER authentication cookie set in the PC’s browser.

A five-year research programme, called Project Indect, aims to develop computer programmes which act as "agents" to monitor and process information from web sites, discussion forums, file servers, peer-to-peer networks and even individual computers

This point of view relies upon focusing on the rare but well-publicized cases that work like you described, and ignoring the majority of people who are actually decent. It's generally helpful to avoid letting your opinion be too influenced by media sensationalizing, although I understand it's difficult.

The reality is, you'll always have some percentage of assholes in the world, and no system you devise will ever get rid of them no matter how hard you try.

Being up in arms about it is all well and good, but it's essentially masturbation.

Geez, for some reason....there seems to be an almost inherit distaste for anyone with any type of wealth in this country these days. You almost seem to feel some level of vitriol anytime someone mentions people who make over $100K/yr and can afford something slightly 'nicer' than the people living in the projects.