Whistleblowing tool ‘SecureDrop’ co-creator James Dolan died in eerily similar circumstances to Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz and an
James S. Dolan, 36, took his own life at a Brooklyn hotel just after Christmas, the second developer involved with the whistle-blower submission system SecureDrop to commit suicide by hanging in Brooklyn
Soon after Dolan’s death, the internet started drawing similarities with the death of Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz who hanged himself in his Brooklyn apt, in 2013
Some say Dolan had suffered depression and post traumatic stress disorder after two deployments to Iraq
James Dolan was the second developer of the whistle-blower submission system SecureDrop to commit suicide by hanging in the same area.
Critical questions are being raised after an outspoken internet activist killed himself in a New York hotel in oddly similar circumstances to fellow hacker and Reddit co- founder Aaron Swartz.
James Dolan co-founded of the tool ‘Securedrop’ took his own life at a newly opened hotel, Gowanus Inn and Yard, in Brooklyn, New York just after Christmas.
Dolan, 36, is the second developer of the whistle-blower submission system SecureDrop to commit suicide by hanging in the same area, five years earlier.
Soon after his death, the internet started drawing similarities between Dolan’s suicide and that of Swartz who hanged himself in his Brooklyn apartment in 2013 as he was being pursued by federal agents.
Ex-Marine Dolan co-founded the Whistleblower submission system SecureDrop. The tool is an open-source system inspired by the controversial, and similarly themed Wikileaks.
The two founders, internet activist Aaron Swartz and journalist Kevin Poulsen. The system was designed to allow whistleblowers and journalists to securely transfer sensitive information and documents.
Now seen as an invaluable tool for reporters, Securedrop was first deployed as StrongBox with The New Yorker. News organizations such as the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Associated Press, and Gizmodo Media Group have largely come to rely on SecureDrop for hard-to-obtain information.
Many mainstream news organizations look up to Securedrop as a sensitive information gathering tool
soon after SecureDrop co-founder James Dolan, 36, took his own life at a newly opened hotel, Gowanus Inn and Yard, in Brooklyn just after Christmas, the internet world roiled with unanswered questions.
Among those was WikiLeaks, who tweeted: ‘Second developer of WikiLeaks inspired submission system ‘SecureDrop’ security expert James Dolan, aged 36, has tragically died. He is said to have committed suicide. The first, Aaron Swartz, is said to have taken his own life at age 26, after being persecuted by US prosecutors.’
James Dolan was back in New York for the holidays when he committed suicide by hanging at the newly opened Gowanus Inn and Yard hotel in Brooklyn
While Swartz’s suicide brought about small rallies as his family blamed the government for his death, Dolan’s went virtually unnoticed.
Dolan was insanely private and had gone to lengths to make himself invisible online.
‘He was very humble and very private,’ a source close to the late developer said.
‘He wouldn’t have wanted anyone to talk about him, so we are respecting that now.’
Those close to Dolan dismissed the similarities between the two SecureDrop suicides, saying any talk of it was ‘totally unfounded and false conspiracies’.
Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz [photo], was the first major developer involved with the whistleblowing platform to take his own life, back in 2013
He is the second developer of the whistle-blower system SecureDrop to commit suicide by hanging in the same area after Reddit founder Aaron Swartz who took his own life in 2013.
There have been suggestions that Dolan suffered depression and post traumatic stress disorder after two deployments to Iraq. When Dolan returned from his final deployment in 2005 he worked as a cyber security expert.
He developed SecureDrop with Swartz and journalist Kevin Poulsen in 2012. The system allows media organizations to safety accept whistle-blower documents from anonymous sources.
It was taken over by non-profit Freedom of the Press Foundation after Swartz’s death.
Trevor Timm, executive director of the foundation, reiterated Dolan’s desire for privacy when he wrote a tribute to him earlier this month.
Soon after Dolan’s death, the online speculation started, drawing similarities between to the two deaths, including this message posted by WikiLeaks
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