
Letter to MIT community regarding support of students behind ‘Tidbit’ - chaz
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2014/letter-to-mit-community-regarding-support-of-students-behind-tidbit.html
======
legutierr
Basically an opposite response to the one they provided in the Aaron Swartz
case.

Sure, there are big differences between the two cases (among them, the fact
that Swartz was not himself a student at MIT, and the fact that the Tidbit
team faces not prosecution but a subpoena--albeit a subpoena that presages
prosecution). Nevertheless, the narratives are strikingly similar: boundary-
pushing, widely-respected hackers confront aggressive and ambitious
prosecutors, where the right kind of support from the school can make all the
difference in the world.

Is MIT being hypocritical here, or did they learn something from the Aaron
Swartz tragedy? Or maybe the differences between the the cases are actually
what is significant.

~~~
beering
Oh boy, where to start?

* Swartz did not create something novel. Tidbits did.

* Swartz was not an MIT student. Tidbits authors were.

* Swartz violated policies/rules of a couple non-profits (MIT and JSTOR). Tidbits did not.

* Swartz misused MIT computer resources. Tidbits did not.

* Jurisdiction in Swartz' case made sense. It doesn't make sense in the Tidbits situation.

* Swartz' case was a federal incident. Tidbits incident is (currently) a state of NJ matter.

* Swartz was charged by the feds. Tidbits has not (yet) been charged by anyone.

Whatever opinion you hold about Swartz' case, I think you should understand
that it's not very similar to this one, outside of the fact that MIT is
involved in both.

~~~
legutierr
I don't think you even read half my comment. If you had, you would have seen
that I already pointed out that there are big differences between the two
cases, and that I noted two of the more significant differences, both of which
you repeat in your list. Furthermore, the last sentence of my comment already
recognizes that the difference in response may be attributable to differences
between the cases, rather than other factors. So what are you criticizing?

Nevertheless, I do think that the idea that these cases are completely
unrelated is off the mark. The most significant PR challenge that Reif has
faced in his tenure has been the Aaron Swartz case, and his response to that
case has been roundly criticized in the national press (albeit most
vociferously by people close to Aaron).

Regardless of what _you_ think of MIT's response in Aaron Swartz's case, you
must recognize Reif would be remiss not to recognize the parallels between the
two cases: parallels between the narratives, parallels in how MIT community
members (and the hacker community generally) have reacted to the narratives,
parallels in how the press will likely report on both cases. From a PR
perspective, this story can easily become a continuation of the Aaron Swartz
affair, if MIT is not careful.

This letter may not be a cynically calculated PR response meant to deflect the
kind of criticism MIT suffered after the Aaron Swartz tragedy, but it can
nonetheless be assessed in relation to MIT's response to Aaron's arrest. At
minimum, this letter is a recognition that a university _can_ insert itself
between prosecutors and students, and stand up for its community principals
when they are under assault.

Supporters of Aaron Swartz have been looking for precisely that from MIT for
quite some time.

~~~
bruce511
Is MIT being hypocritical? Clearly not since what they are saying and and what
they are doing in this case do not appear to be at odds with each other. It
would by hypocritical if they, for example, both supported the students
verbally, but at the same time encouraged the prosecution in some way.

I think you meant to suggest they were being inconsistent here. Or perhaps
suggesting they were applying a double standard. If the former then (given the
poor way they handled the Swartz affair) that is to be welcomed. If the latter
then I suspect there are enough differences to suggest that a different
approach is indeed warranted.

You go on to suggest that the different reaction to this case on the part of
MIT is perhaps a cynical PR exercise while at the same time berating them for
the poor handling of the Swartz event. Is it not perhaps an alternative that
they have taken the public reaction to heart and have changed in their
outlook? Indeed, now that they take a more positive reaction you criticize
them for changing.

While their treatment of Swartz was appalling, that's no reason to insist they
behave like that in all cases - and less reason for complaining when they
improve.

~~~
legutierr
Perhaps you are right that "hypocritical" was not the best choice of words.

If it was not clear, I did intend to reject the idea that this was nothing
more than a cynical PR move (although it is clearly good PR). I agree with you
that it appears that they have taken the public reaction to heart and have
changed in their outlook, as you put it.

Nonetheless, I think all of these questions bear exploring (including the
question as to whether this letter is in some manner cynical PR). An
institution like MIT should be questioned skeptically, even (or perhaps
especially) when it is attempting to reform itself and its practices.

------
timtadh
If like me you haven't heard of this story here is some more background:
[http://tech.mit.edu/V134/N4/abelson.html](http://tech.mit.edu/V134/N4/abelson.html)
. Still looking for some project information I will update the post when I
find it.

EDIT: eff post: [https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/02/eff-challenges-new-
jer...](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/02/eff-challenges-new-jersey-
subpoena-issued-mit-student-bitcoin-developers)

EDIT: hackathon page: [http://nodeknockout.com/teams/shoop-
team](http://nodeknockout.com/teams/shoop-team)

EDIT: Looks like they have taken down a lot of the posts linked from
nodeknockout.com

------
judk
Such a weird case. Tidbit doesnt even do anything interesting, it is a demo of
a clone of an existing piece of software (used to steal CPU cycles from
victims, which is why NJ is interested).

NJ is I guess confusing cause and effect, and suspects these MIT 'geniuses' of
supplying thr 'prohibitively complex' code to the known criminals and then
trying to use that same code to win honors at a hackathon?

~~~
TwoBit
I'm trying to understand what actual laws the students could possibly have
broken.

~~~
dublinclontarf
This is the US we are talking about here, there has to be SOME law which they
have broken. Considering everyone breaks the law every day without realising
it.

~~~
hga
Breaking a New Jersey law when your only connection with it was attending the
funeral of a grandmother some time ago is a bit more difficult....

------
jimktrains2
Was the hack-a-thon in NJ? I'm still trying to figure out how they're involved
in any of this...

~~~
shawn-butler
They have no jurisdiction whatsoever. Students with help of EFF have rightly
directed the State of New Jersey to the nearest cliff from which to jump.

[https://www.eff.org/files/2014/02/03/rubin_v._nj_complaint.p...](https://www.eff.org/files/2014/02/03/rubin_v._nj_complaint.pdf)

I have no idea what they are smoking of late in New Jersey but the entire
state government seems dysfunctional / delusional.

~~~
jimktrains2
Oh man, I love good GFY legal documents.

~~~
Bluestrike2
Sometimes, they're the only appropriate response. This is one of those times.

------
chesh
I was so embarrassed at the time of Aaron Swartz that the MIT that had been so
good to me, was doing so much evil. They allowed a culture of bureaucracy and
rules to dominate the values of innovation and principles.

I am pleased that under Reif real changes have been made that seem to be
seeing the light with cases like Tidbit. No doubt this was part PR exercise.
But behind every PR campaign is also a public affirmation to stake a new path.

Let's hope MIT can continue to return to its roots and set a great example to
the tech community.

------
fredgrott
It just points out that our Federal computer law is somewhat imprecise and
runs counter to the mission of appropriate computer usage.

Okay, I am somewhat older..if I was under the same computer laws today my
actions in Purdue computer labs during the early 1990s would place me in the
prosecutor cross hairs.

------
rigadorje
In other news, the widely-considered-independent country of Joldova, which
lies partly in Asia, partly in Europe, recently announced that the Tidbits
code, which may or may not be deployed yet, and may possibly infringe on
Joldovian patents, may or may not potentially affect some or no websites that
may or may not be located east or west of the main highway. They are therefore
preparing an International Court of Justice (or INTERPOL) requisition, which
may or not be issued on paper or made available openly, via P2P file-sharing
sites, and possibly copyrighted.

------
sasd
MIT failed to support Aaron Swartz, with very dire consequences.

Do the right thing, MIT.

~~~
diminoten
Do the right thing, MIT, or we'll kill ourselves!

Seriously, can we not do this every time something legally interesting happens
at MIT? The two situations are, as demonstrated very aptly above, unrelated.

~~~
goldenkey
"Do the right thing, MIT, or we'll kill ourselves?"

I'm surprised you have the audacity to simplify what happened to Aaron
Schwartz to a contrived ultimatum. And it is wholly related, given that Aaron
was a member of the MIT community.

~~~
Haasy
Except he wasn't a member of the MIT community. He was a Fellow at Harvard
University Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, but not a student or faculty
member at MIT.

~~~
goldenkey
However, as the report notes, Swartz had connections to the Institute: "He was
a regular visitor to the MIT campus and interacted with MIT people and groups
both on campus and off. … He was a member of MIT's Free Culture Group, a
regular visitor at MIT's Student Information Processing Board (SIPB), and an
active participant in the annual MIT International Puzzle Mystery Hunt
Competition. Aaron Swartz's father, Robert Swartz, was (and is) a consultant
at the MIT Media Lab. Aaron frequently visited his father there, and his two
younger brothers had been Media Lab interns."

~~~
diminoten
Aaron didn't fall under the MIT support umbrella. These folks do.

Stop making unhelpful comparisons, please.

------
jrjr
we're all best buddies now, please unlearn the Aaron Swartz matter

regards, the staph

