Anonymous, a group of self-described Internet vigilante hackers took control of a government website on Saturday morning.
They left behind a manifesto demanding reform to the American justice system and threats to the free flow of information. They also protested the treatment of recently deceased founder of Reddit, Aaron Swartz who was accused by the government of hacking into an MIT computer.
Anonymous states "two weeks ago today, a line was crossed; two weeks ago today, Aaron Swartz was killed."
Swartz, who was an advocate for open source, committed suicide on January 11, which was two weeks before he was to appear for his trial date. He was facing up to 30 years in prison.
Swartz's family and friends have publicly blamed Swartz's suicide on the government, saying they "hounded [him] to death."
Anonymous said they deliberately hacked the government website for the U.S. Sentencing Commission, a federal judicial agency, because they intend to "give them a taste of their own medicine." They state that the American Justice System "enables prosecutors to cheat citizens of their constitutionally-guaranteed right to a fair trial. "
Anonymous wants a "return to proportionality of punishment with respect to actual harm caused.”
Anonymous also said that if their demands were not met they would release embarrassing internal Justice Department documents to media outlets, reports ABC News.
Last week, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) drafted a bill that would limit the scope of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act that prosecutors used to lodge their cases against Swartz.
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