27 Facts About Alexandra Elbakyan

Alexandra Asanovna Elbakyan is a Kazakhstani computer programmer and creator of the website Sci-Hub, which provides free access to research papers without regard for copyright.

Alexandra Elbakyan identifies as multiracial, with Armenian, Slavic and Asian roots.

Alexandra Elbakyan was raised by a single mother, who was an accomplished computer programmer.

Alexandra Elbakyan started programming at the age of 12, making web pages in HTML and later writing in PHP, Delphi, and Assembly languages.

Alexandra Elbakyan performed her first computer hack at the age of 14; using SQL injection, she obtained access to all logins and passwords of her home internet provider.

Alexandra Elbakyan reported these issues to the internet provider, hoping to get a job with them, but this did not happen.

Alexandra Elbakyan wrote in her blog that she first hacked a publisher's website when she was 16.

Alexandra Elbakyan wrote a PHP program that exploited a vulnerability on the website to download paywalled books without payment.

Alexandra Elbakyan studied the possibility of using brainwaves measured using electroencephalography for authentication instead of using a password.

Alexandra Elbakyan's idea was to develop a new kind of brain-machine interface that would merge human and machine qualia.

Alexandra Elbakyan participated in the Towards a Science of Consciousness conference that was held in Tucson, Arizona with the poster "Consciousness in Mixed Systems: Merging Artificial and Biological Minds via Brain-Machine Interface".

Alexandra Elbakyan developed Sci-Hub in 2011, when she lived in Kazakhstan.

Alexandra Elbakyan founded her website to help others in the same situation.

On 17 February 2023, a court in India refused to dismiss a blocking application submitted by the legal representatives of the publishers; nonetheless, the legal representatives of Alexandra Elbakyan are working on a new creative legal strategy, namely the mandatory economic angle.

Alexandra Elbakyan is a strong supporter of the open access movement.

Alexandra Elbakyan believes that science should be open to all and not behind paywalls.

Alexandra Elbakyan has described herself as a devout pirate and thinks that copyright law prevents the free exchange of information online and the free distribution of knowledge on the Internet.

Alexandra Elbakyan has stated that she is inspired by communist ideals, and considers the common ownership of ideas to be essential for scientific progress.

Alexandra Elbakyan wanted to join either the Communist Party of the Russian Federation or Pirate Party of Russia, but was unable to as membership in political parties is restricted to those with Russian citizenship.

Alexandra Elbakyan has done work on religion, and has argued that Stalin was a god of science, and an incarnation both of the god Thoth and the Christian God.

Alexandra Elbakyan was in conflict with the liberal, pro-Western wing of the Russian scientific community.

In particular, Alexandra Elbakyan was strongly critical of the former Dynasty Foundation and its associated figures.

Alexandra Elbakyan believes that the foundation was politicized, tied to Russia's liberal opposition, and fit the legal definition of a "foreign agent".

In December 2019, The Washington Post reported that Alexandra Elbakyan was under investigation by the US Justice Department for suspected ties to Russia's military intelligence arm, the GRU, to steal US military secrets from defense contractors.

On May 8,2021, Alexandra Elbakyan tweeted that the FBI had served a subpoena to Apple seeking her iCloud data.

Alexandra Elbakyan was nominated twice for John Maddox Prize and made it to the final shortlist.

Some researchers say that Alexandra Elbakyan deserves a Nobel Prize for her work.