Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman

Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman

Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman in New York City, 2012
Born (1981-11-14) 14 November 1981
Australia
Nationality Australian-American
Occupation Activist

Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman (born 14 November 1981) is an Australian-American activist. She is the founder and executive director of corporate watchdog SumOfUs, which describes itself as "a movement of consumers, workers and shareholders speaking with one voice to counterbalance the growing power of large corporations."[1] In March 2012, she and her group were active critics of working conditions at Apple Inc. supplier Foxconn.[2]

Biography

She is the daughter of DePauw University professors, former Georgetown basketball standout Bruce Stinebrickner and author Kelsey Kauffman.[3][4] She was raised in Greencastle, Indiana.[5]

Stinebrickner-Kauffman graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in mathematics from Duke University in 2004.[6]

She was the partner of Internet activist Aaron Swartz until his death.[7] In 2011 Swartz was prosecuted for violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), and, facing the risk of long imprisonment if convicted, he committed suicide in 2013. The alleged victims did not pursue civil litigation, and there was criticism following Swartz's arrest such as "a respected Harvard researcher ... has been arrested ... based on allegations that he downloaded articles that he was entitled to get free".[8]

After Swartz's suicide, Stinebrickner-Kauffman and computer security consultant Alex Stamos, who would have been the defense's chief expert forensic witness at Swartz’s trial, said that Swartz had been unfairly targeted by the prosecution.[9]

In 2011, she founded SumOfUs, an online community that campaigns to hold big corporations accountable on issues such as climate change, workers’ rights, discrimination, human rights, animal rights, corruption, and corporate power grab. She's the Executive Director of this non-profit organization that is acting like a global consumer watchdog.

References

  1. ↑ SumOfUs website Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  2. ↑ Appearance on ABC News Nightline. 29 March 2012 @ 7m30s.
  3. ↑ "Kelsey Kauffman". Amazon.com. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman is Aaron Swartz’s Girlfriend who found him". ShowBizDaily. February 5, 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Robert A. Duffey Scholar-Athlete Award, Georgetown University Scholar-Athlete Award. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Crain Lecture Series Welcomes Pollster Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman", Depauw University, 26 November 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Peltz, Jennifer, Hundreds honor information activist Swartz, Associated Press as appearing in USA Today, 19 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  8. ↑ Schwartz, John (July 19, 2011). "Open-Access advocate is arrested for huge download". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ Appearance on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman & Juan González, Exclusive: Aaron Swartz’s Partner, Expert Witness Say Prosecutors Unfairly Targeted Dead Activist, 17 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.

External links

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