(Photo: Slash Gear)

In a press release published to Pastebin last night, the hacktivist collective Anonymous announced its plans for the second phase of #OpAngel, an operation executed in reaction to the suicide of famed hacker Aaron Swartz.

Mr. Swartz, a champion of the open Internet, was integral to the creation of RSS and defeating SOPA/PIPA. Over the last week, Anonymous has sought to defend his memory by hacking into MIT’s website and launching an operation against the Westboro Baptist Church when they planned to protest Mr. Swartz's funeral. (WBC backed down after Anonymous threatened to hack them.)

Now, Anonymous has revealed its plans for the second phase of #OpAngel. During this phase, some Anonymous members plan to "publicly endorse" changes to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act proposed by California representative Zoe Lofgren. The changes to this Act are called "Aaron's Law," as Mr. Swartz was prosecuted under certain statutes in it.

Several Anonymous members also plan to participate in online protests leading up to live protests on January 25th. The release says that "multiple Anonymous groups" have vowed to deface or hack into websites belong to MIT and the Department of Justice, with focus on the websites of the prosecutors involved in Mr. Swartz's case.

On January 25th, Anons will congregate in Boston and Washington D.C. for live protests in an effort to combat wide-reaching laws that allow the "unfair" punishment of hackers. "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," reads the statement.

Mr. Swartz. (Photo: Raw Story)

Following intense outcry and mounting pressure for her resignation in the wake of the suicide of hacker activist Aaron Swartz, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz has penned a statement, issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office, defending her actions in Mr. Swartz's prosecution.

"I know that there is little I can say to abate the anger felt by those who believe that this office’s prosecution of Mr. Swartz was unwarranted and somehow led to the tragic result of him taking his own life," the statement reads. "I must, however, make clear that this office’s conduct was appropriate in bringing and handling this case."

Ms. Ortiz's family also jumped into the fray this week. On Tuesday her husband Tom Dolan, an executive at IBM, took to Twitter to defend her actions in a number of tweets that one former prosecutor called "mind-bogglingly offensive." He has since deleted his Twitter account.

The official statement comes days after Mr. Swartz's funeral, where his father reportedly blamed the government for his son's suicide. Mr. Swartz's lawyer has also gone on record saying that the prosecution was more focused on building a "juicy" case than a fair one.

California Rep. Zoe Lofgren is attempting to honor Mr. Swartz by proposing amendments to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the law that allowed the government to threaten Mr. Swartz which such a harsh punishment.

Below is the full statement from the U.S. Attorney's office.

STATEMENT OF UNITED STATES ATTORNEY CARMEN M. ORTIZ REGARDING THE DEATH OF AARON SWARTZ

As a parent and a sister, I can only imagine the pain felt by the family and friends of Aaron Swartz, and I want to extend my heartfelt sympathy to everyone who knew and loved this young man. I know that there is little I can say to abate the anger felt by those who believe that this office’s prosecution of Mr. Swartz was unwarranted and somehow led to the tragic result of him taking his own life.

I must, however, make clear that this office’s conduct was appropriate in bringing and handling this case. The career prosecutors handling this matter took on the difficult task of enforcing a law they had taken an oath to uphold, and did so reasonably. The prosecutors recognized that there was no evidence against Mr. Swartz indicating that he committed his acts for personal financial gain, and they recognized that his conduct – while a violation of the law – did not warrant the severe punishments authorized by Congress and called for by the Sentencing Guidelines in appropriate cases. That is why in the discussions with his counsel about a resolution of the case this office sought an appropriate sentence that matched the alleged conduct – a sentence that we would recommend to the judge of six months in a low security setting. While at the same time, his defense counsel would have been free to recommend a sentence of probation. Ultimately, any sentence imposed would have been up to the judge. At no time did this office ever seek – or ever tell Mr. Swartz’s attorneys that it intended to seek – maximum penalties under the law.

As federal prosecutors, our mission includes protecting the use of computers and the Internet by enforcing the law as fairly and responsibly as possible. We strive to do our best to fulfill this mission every day.

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