US Government says you are a fellon, everyone of you

I heard this story when it happened but certainly didn't give it the proper attention. Consider this conversation in the comments of the relevant article at Rolling Stones:

1rdd: What am I missing here, I've read that Swartz copied copyrighted material and put it on the internet. Isn't that stealing? Then he was arrested and put in jail where he sadly killed himself. Not a hater but he broke the law and was arrested so why are people mad?

Barry Kort:

It's unlikely you read that in the mainstream media.

He downloaded scholarly journal articles onto his laptop (which he was legally entitled to do) but he downloaded them in bulk (which was a violation of the Terms of Service). He did not put them on the Internet. He returned the hard drive with the downloaded articles and settled amicably with JSTOR.

The CFAA, which he allegedly violated, makes it a felony to violate the Terms of Service of any web site you visit. That means that almost everyone who uses the Web is technically a felon under the CFAA.

1rdd : Ok. Thanks for the info Barry.

That's right, we didn't know. Time to raise your voice:
* The Brilliant Life and Tragic Death of Aaron Swartz
* Conservatives Should Take the Lead Against Government Injustice
Can you define a tyrannical regime any better? The tyranny of stupidity and malice, AKA Idiocracy.

Look buddy, you downloaded stale academic papers, it's 35 years in prison for ya. I'll leave this rope for you to think of what you've done
H/T to Ace of Spades who started me on the trail of this story