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Sci-Hub founder receives EFF award for providing access to scientific knowledge (torrentfreak.com)

494 points by gslin · 1125 days ago · 73 comments on HN

Article summary

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has awarded Alexandra Elbakyan, the founder of Sci-Hub, for her efforts to provide access to scientific knowledge. Sci-Hub is a website that offers free access to millions of academic publications, bypassing paywalls and copyright restrictions. The award recognizes Elbakyan's contribution to advancing access to scientific knowledge, despite the site being sued several times and owing millions in damages to major publishers. The EFF sees Sci-Hub as a vital resource for millions of students and researchers worldwide.

Main themes

  • access to scientific knowledge
  • academic publishing
  • copyright and piracy
  • intellectual freedom
  • reform of academic publishing system
  • ethics of IP infringement

What commenters say

  • Some argue that the EFF's endorsement of Sci-Hub is a form of endorsing piracy, while others see it as a necessary step to promote free access to scientific knowledge.
  • The current academic publishing system is seen as broken, with publishers charging high prices for access to research that is often publicly funded.
  • There is a disagreement on whether supporting IP infringement is necessary to achieve free access to scientific knowledge, with some arguing that it is possible to support both goals simultaneously.
  • Others believe that the ends justify the means, and that Sci-Hub's actions are ethical because they promote access to knowledge that should be publicly available.
  • Some commentators argue that the EFF's award to Elbakyan may damage their credibility in future court cases, while others see it as a necessary step to promote intellectual freedom.
  • The value of Sci-Hub in enabling access to scientific knowledge is widely recognized, with many commentators expressing gratitude for the site's existence.
  • There is a debate on whether the academic publishing system can be reformed to make research more accessible, or if more radical solutions like Sci-Hub are needed.