Review clears Massachusetts Institute of Technology in activist Aaron Swartz's death Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz. Picture: Wikipedia Source: Supplied THE Massachusetts Institute of Technology says an internal review has cleared it of any wrongdoing in the death of activist Aaron Swartz. The 26-year-old killed himself in January as he faced federal prosecution for surreptitiously using MIT's network to download millions of articles from a scholarly archive with the goal of making information free. He was facing decades behind bars. Prosecutors said they offered a deal of four to six months in prison. MIT says the investigation raises concerns about policies and procedures, but says the school didn't target Swartz, seek his prosecution or oppose a plea. MIT President L. Rafael Reif says the school's decisions were "made in good faith." Swartz's family says his suicide resulted from "prosecutorial overreach."