Alexandra Elbakyan

Elbakyan was born in Almaty, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (named Alma-Ata in Russian), on 6 November 1988.{{cite news |url=http://www.ladn.eu/reflexion/articles-parus-dans-ladn-revue/alexandra-elbakyan-la-pirate-scientifique/ |title=Alexandra Elbakyan: la pirate scientifique |year=2016 |language=fr |quote=Née en 1988 au Kazakhstan... elle étudie les neurosciences à Astana et son université n'a pas les moyens de payer l'abonnement aux publications des éditeurs scientifiques. Pour son projet de recherche (l'interactivité cerveau-machine), elle aurait dû acheter chaque article autour de 30 dollars – un prix faramineux quand on sait qu'il faut consulter des dizaines ou des centaines d'articles. Elle n'a qu'une solution: les pirater|author=Coralie Trinh Thi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111182330/http://www.ladn.eu/reflexion/articles-parus-dans-ladn-revue/alexandra-elbakyan-la-pirate-scientifique/ |archive-date=January 11, 2017 |url-status=dead |author-link=Coralie Trinh Thi }}{{cite web|url=https://vk.com/alexandra.elbakyan|title=Alexandra Elbakyan|website=Vk.com|language=ru|access-date=6 October 2016|archive-date=7 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507232355/http://vk.com/alexandra.elbakyan|url-status=live}} She identifies as multiracial, with Armenian, Slavic and Asian roots.{{cite web |last1=Elbakyan |first1=Alexandra |title=Wiki identifies me as ethnic Armenian while I'm multiracial having both armenian, slavic and asian roots. Politics? |url=https://twitter.com/ringo_ring/status/700626318124134400 |publisher=Twitter |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200825100219/https://twitter.com/ringo_ring/status/700626318124134400 |archive-date=25 August 2020 |date=February 19, 2016 |access-date=10 May 2016 |url-status=live }} Alexandra was raised by a single mother, who was an accomplished computer programmer.

Alexandra started programming at the age of 12, making web pages in HTML and later writing in PHP, Delphi, and Assembly languages. She attempted to create a Tamagotchi powered by artificial intelligence.{{Cite journal|last1=Elbakyan|first1=Alexandra|last2=Bozkurt|first2=Aras|date=2021-05-11|title=A Critical Conversation with Alexandra Elbakyan: Is she the Pirate Queen, Robin Hood, a Scholarly Activist, or a Butterfly Flapping its Wings?|url=http://www.asianjde.com/ojs/index.php/AsianJDE/article/view/559|journal=Asian Journal of Distance Education|language=en|volume=16|issue=1|pages=111–118|issn=1347-9008|access-date=2021-06-27|archive-date=2021-06-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626050722/https://www.asianjde.com/ojs/index.php/AsianJDE/article/view/559|url-status=live}} She 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. Later, she discovered there were more vulnerabilities of the cross-site scripting type. She reported these issues to the internet provider, hoping to get a job with them, but this did not happen. Instead, the provider cut off her internet access. Alexandra wrote in her blog that she first hacked a publisher's website when she was 16. The publisher was MIT Press, which published online books on neuroscience, but they were locked behind a paywall that she could not afford. Alexandra wrote a PHP program that exploited a vulnerability on the website to download paywalled books without payment.{{Cite web|last=ringo-ring|date=2019-03-30|title=Sci-Hub and Alexandra basic information|url=https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2019/03/31/sci-hub-and-alexandra-basic-information/|access-date=2021-11-04|website=engineuring|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006212207/https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2019/03/31/sci-hub-and-alexandra-basic-information/|url-status=live}}

In 2009, she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the Kazakh National Technical University, specializing in information security. She studied the possibility of using brainwaves measured using electroencephalography (EEG) for authentication instead of using a password.{{cite news|title=Bacteria Hunt:A multimodal, multiparadigm BCI game|page=22|publisher=University of Twente|url=https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/5356861/bacteriahunt_e09project5.pdf|quote=Alexandra A. Elbakyan graduated from KazNTU with a bachelor's degree in IT in June 2009. She conducted a study regarding person identification by EEG in her final year thesis. She is going to continue her research in brain-computer interfaces and brain implants|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-date=2019-02-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217113934/https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/5356861/bacteriahunt_e09project5.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=ringo-ring|date=2009-08-16|title=Identify person by unique brain activity|url=https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2009/08/16/identify-person-by-unique-brain-activity/|access-date=2021-10-22|website=engineuring|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022032520/https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2009/08/16/identify-person-by-unique-brain-activity/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Cunff|first=Anne-Laure Le|date=2020-10-26|title=Interview: Collective intelligence with Alexandra Elbakyan|url=https://nesslabs.com/alexandra-elbakyan-interview|access-date=2021-10-22|website=Ness Labs|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022033757/https://nesslabs.com/alexandra-elbakyan-interview|url-status=live}} While working on her thesis, Elbakyan discovered the paywall problem with accessing journal articles, as her university did not have access to many publications related to her work.

Alexandra became interested in developing brain–computer interfaces and in 2010 she joined the University of Freiburg to work on such a project,{{cite news|url=http://labiotech.eu/this-27-years-old-woman-is-shaking-the-scientific-publishing-industry/ |first=Denise Neves |last=Gameiro |date=June 4, 2016 |title=This 27-year-old Woman is Shaking up the Scientific Publishing Industry |work=Labiotech.eu |quote=Alexandra Elbakyan, a 27-year-old researcher from Kazakhstan...was studying ‘Neuroscience and Consciousness' in labs at Georgia Tech (US) and University of Freiburg (Germany)...she was forced to pirate papers for herself and other researchers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111181359/http://labiotech.eu/this-27-years-old-woman-is-shaking-the-scientific-publishing-industry/ |archive-date=January 11, 2017 |url-status=dead }} which eventually led to her summer internship in neuroscience at Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States.{{cite news|url=http://pwp.gatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/516/2016/10/PotterGroup.html |title=People |publisher=Georgia Institute of Technology |quote=Alexandra Elbakyan ... Summer 2010 ... Programming and data analysis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111210530/http://pwp.gatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/516/2016/10/PotterGroup.html |archive-date=January 11, 2017 |url-status=dead }} The same year, Elbakyan spoke at the Humanity+ Summit at Harvard on the topic "Brain-Computer Interfacing, Consciousness, and the Global Brain".{{Cite web|title=2010 H+ Summit @ Harvard {{!}} Alexandra Elbakyan: Brain-Computer Interfacing, Consciousness, and the Global Brain|url=https://hplussummit.com/2010/east/elbakyan.html|access-date=2021-10-22|website=hplussummit.com|archive-date=2021-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022000542/https://hplussummit.com/2010/east/elbakyan.html|url-status=dead}} Elbakyan's idea was to develop a new kind of brain-machine interface that would merge human and machine qualia.{{Cite web|date=2021-03-16|title=Beyond the Borg – h+ Media|url=http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/02/23/beyond-the-borg/|access-date=2021-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316010230/http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/02/23/beyond-the-borg/|archive-date=2021-03-16}}{{Cite web|last=ringo-ring|date=2010-06-14|title="Mind implants" or how to expand consciousness using new technologies|url=https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/mind-implants-or-how-to-expand-consciousness-using-new-technologies/|access-date=2021-10-22|website=engineuring|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022000528/https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/mind-implants-or-how-to-expand-consciousness-using-new-technologies/|url-status=live}} She also 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".{{Cite web|title=Toward a Science of Consciousness|url=https://consciousness.arizona.edu/documents/FINALTSC2010AbstractBook2010_v13.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100602021317/https://consciousness.arizona.edu/documents/FINALTSC2010AbstractBook2010_v13.pdf|archive-date=2010-06-02|url-status=live}}

From 2012 to 2014, she was a master's student at Higher School of Economics in Moscow, but then dropped out.{{Cite web|title=Alexandra Elbakyan {{!}} Sci-Hub|url=https://sci-hub.ru/alexandra|access-date=2021-10-28|website=sci-hub.ru|archive-date=2021-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220105557/https://sci-hub.ru/alexandra|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=ringo-ring|date=2018-02-16|title=Corrections to The Verge article about Sci-Hub: part 1|url=https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/corrections-to-the-verge-article-about-sci-hub-part-1/|access-date=2021-10-28|website=engineuring|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028043730/https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/corrections-to-the-verge-article-about-sci-hub-part-1/|url-status=live}} According to a 2016 interview, her neuroscience research was on hold, but she was enrolled in a history of science master's program at a private university in an undisclosed location. Her thesis would focus on scientific communication. Later, she has focused more on religious topics, and in 2019, she graduated from Saint Petersburg State University with a master's degree in linguistics on the topic of biblical languages.{{Cite web|title=Alexandra Elbakyan | Sci-Hub|url=https://sci-hub.ru/alexandra/ru|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124164331/https://sci-hub.ru/alexandra/ru |archive-date=2021-11-24 }}

{{See also|Sci-Hub#Legal status}}

According to Elbakyan, Sci-Hub is a simplified version of a Global Brain because it "connects [the] brains of many researchers."{{Cite news|date=2016-03-12|title=Opinion {{!}} Should All Research Papers Be Free?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/opinion/sunday/should-all-research-papers-be-free.html|access-date=2018-03-03|issn=0362-4331|quote=DRAWING comparisons to Edward Snowden, a graduate student from Kazakhstan named Alexandra Elbakyan is believed to be hiding out in Russia after illegally leaking millions of documents. While she didn’t reveal state secrets, she took a stand for the public’s right to know by providing free online access to just about every scientific paper ever published, on topics ranging from acoustics to zymology.|archive-date=2016-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031030302/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/opinion/sunday/should-all-research-papers-be-free.html|url-status=live}}

Elbakyan developed Sci-Hub in 2011, when she lived in Kazakhstan.{{cite magazine|quote=Elbakyan, a software developer and neurotechnology researcher, created Sci-Hub originally out of frustration over lack of access to scholarly material in her native Kazakhstan |title=Sci-Hub Controversy Triggers Publishers' Critique of Librarian |first=Lisa |last=Peet |date=August 25, 2016 |url=http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2016/08/copyright/sci-hub-controversy-triggers-publishers-critique-of-librarian/ |magazine=Library Journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111185200/http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2016/08/copyright/sci-hub-controversy-triggers-publishers-critique-of-librarian/ |archive-date=January 11, 2017 |url-status=dead }} It was characterized by Science correspondent John Bohannon as "an awe-inspiring act of altruism or a massive criminal enterprise, depending on whom you ask."{{cite journal|first=John |last=Bohannon|title=The frustrated science student behind Sci-Hub|journal=Science|doi=10.1126/science.352.6285.511 |date=29 April 2016|volume=352|page=511|number=6285|bibcode=2016Sci...352..511B |pmid=27126021}} Elbakyan has stated that the script was initially intended to make access to academic papers fast and convenient, without a global goal of making all science free.

When academic publisher Elsevier sued Sci-Hub in the US in 2015, Elbakyan wrote a letter to the judge, wherein she explained her motives for starting the project: she could not afford to pay for each of the hundreds of papers she needed for her research project, so she had to pirate them.{{Cite web|last=Meadows|first=Chris|date=2015-09-18|title=Elsevier sues to shut down 'pirate' websites|url=http://teleread.com/elsevier-sues-to-shut-down-pirate-websites/|access-date=2021-10-22|website=TeleRead News: E-books, publishing, tech and beyond|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022035949/http://teleread.com/elsevier-sues-to-shut-down-pirate-websites/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Science "Pirate" Attacks Elsevier's Copyright Monopoly in Court * TorrentFreak|url=https://torrentfreak.com/science-pirate-attacks-elseviers-copyright-monopoly-in-court-150916/|access-date=2021-10-22|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118022912/https://torrentfreak.com/science-pirate-attacks-elseviers-copyright-monopoly-in-court-150916/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2017-07-10|title=Elsevier Inc. et al v. Sci-Hub et al {{!}} United States Courts Archive|url=https://www.unitedstatescourts.org/federal/nysd/442951/|access-date=2021-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710024405/https://www.unitedstatescourts.org/federal/nysd/442951/|archive-date=2017-07-10}} She founded her website to help others in the same situation. In the letter Elbakyan has provided various arguments in support for her cause, such as Elsevier not being an author of papers, and not paying the authors, mentioning that "The general opinion in research community is that research papers should be distributed for free (open access), not sold".{{Cite web|last=Elbakyan|first=Alexandra|date=15 September 2015|title=Case 1:15-cv-04282-RWS Document 50|url=https://torrentfreak.com/images/sci-hub-reply.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921012411/https://torrentfreak.com/images/sci-hub-reply.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-21 }}

Elsevier was granted an injunction against her and $15 million in damages.{{cite journal|first=Quirin|last=Schiermeier|title=US court grants Elsevier millions in damages from Sci-Hub|journal=Nature|doi=10.1038/nature.2017.22196|date=22 June 2017|url=https://www.nature.com/news/us-court-grants-elsevier-millions-in-damages-from-sci-hub-1.22196|access-date=15 May 2020|archive-date=19 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419200020/https://www.nature.com/news/us-court-grants-elsevier-millions-in-damages-from-sci-hub-1.22196|url-status=live}}{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=Buranyi |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jun/27/profitable-business-scientific-publishing-bad-for-science |title=Is the staggeringly profitable business of scientific publishing bad for science? |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 June 2017 |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927095152/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jun/27/profitable-business-scientific-publishing-bad-for-science |url-status=live }} Following a lawsuit, Elbakyan remained in hiding due to the risk of extradition.{{cite journal|last=Bohannon|first=John|date=29 April 2016|title=Who's downloading pirated papers? Everyone|journal=Science|volume=352|pages=508–512|doi=10.1126/science.aaf5664|pmid=27126020|quote=Elbakyan also answered nearly every question I had about her operation of the website, interaction with users, and even her personal life. Among the few things she would not disclose is her current location, because she is at risk of financial ruin, extradition, and imprisonment because of a lawsuit launched by Elsevier last year.|number=6285}} There were also lawsuits against Sci-Hub and Elbakyan from other publishers and in other countries.

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 Elbakyan are working on a new creative legal strategy, namely the mandatory economic angle. Additionally, the revoked .SE domain of Sci-Hub, in a different court case, has now been restored due to a successful "ownership verification process."{{cite news |last=Maxwell |first=Andy |title=Sci-Hub Founder's High Court Creativity Fails to Dismiss Publishers' Lawsuit |url=https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-founders-high-court-creativity-fails-to-dismiss-publishers-lawsuit-230217/ |date=17 February 2023 |work=Torrent Freak |accessdate=17 February 2023 |archive-date=17 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217175440/https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-founders-high-court-creativity-fails-to-dismiss-publishers-lawsuit-230217/ |url-status=live }}

Elbakyan is a strong supporter of the open access movement. According to her, Sci-Hub is a true implementation of open access principle in science.{{Cite web|last=ringo-ring|date=2016-02-24|title=Why Sci-Hub is the true solution for Open Access: reply to criticism|url=https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/why-sci-hub-is-the-true-solution-for-open-access-reply-to-criticism/|access-date=2021-10-28|website=engineuring|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028054601/https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/why-sci-hub-is-the-true-solution-for-open-access-reply-to-criticism/|url-status=live}} She believes that science should be open to all and not behind paywalls.{{cite web|url=https://www.leafscience.org/alexandra-elbakyan/|title=Alexandra Elbakyan – Science Should be Open to all Not Behind Paywalls -|website=www.leafscience.org|access-date=2018-04-13|archive-date=2019-04-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420134318/https://www.leafscience.org/alexandra-elbakyan/|url-status=dead}}

She 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.{{Cite web|title=Scientist vs. publisher: Sci-Hub reveals flaws in academia – The Miscellany News|date=6 February 2019 |url=https://miscellanynews.org/2019/02/06/opinions/scientist-vs-publisher-sci-hub-reveals-flaws-in-academia/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-28|language=en-US|quote=As a devout pirate, I think that copyright should be abolished. At least some corrections to the laws should be made that prohibit prosecutions or injunctions against free distribution of scientific knowledge and educational resources|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190211161822/http://miscellanynews.org:80/2019/02/06/opinions/scientist-vs-publisher-sci-hub-reveals-flaws-in-academia/ |archive-date=2019-02-11 }}{{Cite web|date=2021-04-16|title=Fighting for Communism in Science - BPR Interviews: Alexandra Elbakyan|url=https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2021/04/fighting-for-communism-in-science-bpr-interviews-alexandra-elbakyan/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-28|website=Brown Political Review|language=en-US|quote=From the very beginning, it’s been my dream that Sci-Hub would facilitate long-lasting changes in the copyright laws that have been used to stop the free exchange of information online. We can have a discussion when copyright is used to stop the free distribution of movies and music, but if the law is against science and knowledge, there is nothing to discuss. Sci-Hub has made obvious that copyright prevents the development of science, free academic discussion on the Internet, and the free exchange of research knowledge in the form of articles and books. So what is the best thing we can do? It is to eliminate copyright law and allow the free distribution of knowledge on the Internet, and the free operation of websites like Sci-Hub. Sci-Hub’s main crime is that it allows the free reading of academic journals and books on the Internet. That shouldn’t be a crime in the first place.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508040310/https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2021/04/fighting-for-communism-in-science-bpr-interviews-alexandra-elbakyan/ |archive-date=2021-05-08 }} In 2018, she asked supporters of Sci-Hub to join their local Pirate Party in order to fight for copyright laws to be changed.{{cite web|url=https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2018/07/07/why-sci-hub-is-illegal-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/|title=Why Sci-Hub is illegal, and what you can do about it|date=2018-07-07|access-date=2018-10-09|archive-date=2020-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725021517/https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2018/07/07/why-sci-hub-is-illegal-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/|url-status=live}}

Elbakyan has stated that she is inspired by communist ideals,{{cite web|last1=Кузнецов|first1=Даниил|title=Пиратка года: До Сноудена или Ассанжа мне пока далеко|url=https://life.ru/t/%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%B0/950698/piratka_ghoda_do_snoudiena_ili_assanzha_mnie_poka_dalieko|publisher=Life|access-date=21 October 2017|language=ru|date=23 December 2016|archive-date=23 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923121552/https://life.ru/t/%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%B0/950698/piratka_ghoda_do_snoudiena_ili_assanzha_mnie_poka_dalieko|url-status=live}} and considers the common ownership of ideas to be essential for scientific progress.{{Cite web |date=2019-02-06 |title=How one perplexing pirate is plundering the publishers |url=https://medicalrepublic.com.au/one-perplexing-pirate-plundering-publishers/18957 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210001300/http://medicalrepublic.com.au:80/one-perplexing-pirate-plundering-publishers/18957 |archive-date=2019-02-10 |access-date=2021-10-26 |website=The Medical Republic |language=en-US |quote=We were waiting for a call from either a master lawbreaker or a hero of science, depending on who you ask.}} In her 2016 interview to Vox, she said: "I like the idea of communism, and the idea that knowledge should be common and not intellectual property is very relevant. That is especially true for information. Research articles are used for communication in science. But the word "communication" implies common ownership by itself."{{Cite web|last=Belluz|first=Julia|date=2016-02-18|title=Meet the woman who's breaking the law to make science free for all|url=https://www.vox.com/2016/2/18/11047052/alexandra-elbakyan-interview|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-22|website=Vox|language=en|quote=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219100239/http://www.vox.com/2016/2/18/11047052/alexandra-elbakyan-interview |archive-date=2016-02-19 }} She referenced the work of Robert Merton, who considered communism to be a part of scientific ethos.{{Cite web|last=Belluz|first=Julia|date=2016-02-18|title=Meet the woman who's breaking the law to make science free for all|url=https://www.vox.com/2016/2/18/11047052/alexandra-elbakyan-interview|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-28|website=Vox|language=en|quote=Later I became acquainted with the works of Robert K. Merton, the founder of sociology of science. Back in the first half of the 20th century Merton noticed that common ownership of knowledge (i.e., communism) is one of the essential features of science that makes it work. He found the concept of intellectual property to be self-contradictory.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219100239/http://www.vox.com/2016/2/18/11047052/alexandra-elbakyan-interview |archive-date=2016-02-19 }} According to her, Sci-Hub is fighting for communism in science and against the current state of things when knowledge has become the private property of corporations, because knowledge belongs to everyone.{{Cite web|date=2021-04-16|title=Fighting for Communism in Science - BPR Interviews: Alexandra Elbakyan|url=https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2021/04/fighting-for-communism-in-science-bpr-interviews-alexandra-elbakyan/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-28|website=Brown Political Review|language=en-US|quote=Knowledge today has become the private property of corporations such as the publisher Elsevier. These corporations are making a lot of money, while researchers are poor and exploited. Sci-Hub is against all of this. Knowledge belongs to everyone and all people should have equal access to it. Sci-Hub is fighting for communism in science.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508040310/https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2021/04/fighting-for-communism-in-science-bpr-interviews-alexandra-elbakyan/ |archive-date=2021-05-08 }}

Elbakyan does not consider herself a strict Marxist. She 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.{{Cite web|date=2021-02-27|title=A Robin Hood in the World of Science: Alexandra Elbakyan|url=http://bilimveaydinlanma.org/a-robin-hood-in-the-world-of-science-alexandra-elbakyan/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-06|website=Bilim ve Aydınlanma Akademisi|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228175711/http://bilimveaydinlanma.org/a-robin-hood-in-the-world-of-science-alexandra-elbakyan/ |archive-date=2021-02-28 }}

Elbakyan justified Sci-Hub by saying that lack of universal access to academic knowledge violates Article 27 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that "everyone has the right freely to … share in scientific advancement and its benefits."{{Cite web|title=Sci-Hub Tears Down Academia's "Illegal" Copyright Paywalls * TorrentFreak|url=https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-tears-down-academias-illegal-copyright-paywalls-150627/|access-date=2021-10-28|language=en|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304144853/https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-tears-down-academias-illegal-copyright-paywalls-150627/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2016-05-31|title=Sci-Hub: What It Is and Why It Matters|url=https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/05/31/why-sci-hub-matters/|access-date=2021-10-22|website=American Libraries Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=2016-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918042400/https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/05/31/why-sci-hub-matters/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Sprague|first=John|date=March 2016|title=Should knowledge be free?|url=https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/media/Documents/magazine-extras/IB%20Review/IBRev%202_4/IB_e-review_Mar16.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022010844/https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/media/Documents/magazine-extras/IB%20Review/IBRev%202_4/IB_e-review_Mar16.pdf |archive-date=2021-10-22 }}{{Cite web|date=2016-11-19|title=Alexandra Elbakyan and Sci-Hub: The Full Story|url=https://www.ultius.com/ultius-blog/entry/alexandra-elbakyan-and-sci-hub-the-full-story.html|access-date=2021-10-22|website=Ultius|language=en-gb|archive-date=2024-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417161549/https://www.ultius.com/ultius-blog/entry/alexandra-elbakyan-and-sci-hub-the-full-story.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Sci-Hub Pledges Open Source & AI Alongside Crypto Donation Drive * TorrentFreak|url=https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-pledges-open-source-ai-alongside-crypto-donation-drive-210809/|access-date=2021-10-28|language=en|archive-date=2021-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028062538/https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-pledges-open-source-ai-alongside-crypto-donation-drive-210809/|url-status=live}}

She has stated that she supports a strong state which can stand up to the Western world, and that she does not want "the scientists of Russia and of my native Kazakhstan to share the fates of the scientists of Iraq, Libya, and Syria, that were 'helped' by the United States to become more democratic."{{cite web|last1=Владимиров|first1=Василий|title=Политизация популяризации науки в современной России: о фонде "Династия"|url=http://www.apn.ru/index.php?newsid=36204|publisher=APN|access-date=21 October 2017|ref=04 September 2017|language=ru|archive-date=17 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717211202/https://www.apn.ru/index.php?newsid=36204|url-status=live}} In 2012, she supported Putin's politics, but in 2018, she expressed support for the Pirate Party of Russia, which is in opposition to Putin.{{Cite web |title=Pirate Party Russia: Putin's war against Ukraine {{!}} European Pirate Party |url=https://european-pirateparty.eu/pirate-party-russia-putins-war-against-ukraine/ |access-date=2022-10-11 |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204111624/https://european-pirateparty.eu/pirate-party-russia-putins-war-against-ukraine/ |url-status=live }} A few months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when asked in an interview if she was still loyal to Putin, she responded that she is neither aligned with Putin nor with the Russian liberal opposition, reiterating that she identifies herself as a communist.{{Cite web |last=Grassegger |first=Hannes |date=2022-08-10 |title=Kazakh Alexandra Elbakyan has built Sci-Hub, the largest open knowledge platform in history |url=https://www.paru.cas.cz/novinky/novinka/6547-every-time-a-journalist-asks-i-think-its-an-agent-coming-to-kill-me/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=:cs:Parazitologický ústav Biologického centra Akademie věd České republiky |language=cs |archive-date=2024-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404084919/https://www.paru.cas.cz/novinky/novinka/6547-every-time-a-journalist-asks-i-think-its-an-agent-coming-to-kill-me/ |url-status=live }}

She has also done work on religion,{{cite web |title=Elbakyan |url=https://www.wellesu.com/alexandra |website=Sci Hub |access-date=14 January 2025}} and has argued that Stalin was a god of science, and an incarnation both of the god Thoth and the Christian God.{{cite web |title=Why Stalin is a God |url=https://www.wellesu.com/why-stalin-is-god |website=Sci Hub |access-date=14 January 2025 |archive-date=2025-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114095343/https://www.wellesu.com/why-stalin-is-god}}

Elbakyan was in conflict with the liberal, pro-Western wing of the Russian scientific community. According to her interview, she was attacked on the Internet by 'science popularizers' who supported liberal views that led to the shutdown of Sci-Hub in Russia in 2017 for a few days.{{Cite web|title=Вернуть Sci-Hub {{!}} Алла Астахова.Ru|url=http://alla-astakhova.ru/sci-hub/|access-date=2021-10-21|website=alla-astakhova.ru|archive-date=2020-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817115648/http://alla-astakhova.ru/sci-hub/|url-status=live}} In particular, Elbakyan was strongly critical of the former Dynasty Foundation (shut down in 2015) and its associated figures. She believes that the foundation was politicized, tied to Russia's liberal opposition, and fit the legal definition of a "foreign agent". Dynasty's founder, in her opinion, financed researchers whose political views agreed with its own. Elbakyan states that after she began to investigate the foundation's activities and published her findings online, she became the target of a cyberharassment campaign by Dynasty's supporters.{{cite web|last1=Зораб|first1=Руслан|date=6 September 2017|title=Александра Элбакян: о либералах, троллинге и блокировке Sci-Hub в России|url=https://naked-science.ru/article/interview/aleksandra-elbakyan-o-liberalah|access-date=21 October 2017|publisher=Naked Science|language=ru|archive-date=5 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705222418/https://naked-science.ru/article/interview/aleksandra-elbakyan-o-liberalah|url-status=live}}

In December 2019, The Washington Post reported that Elbakyan was under investigation by the US Justice Department for suspected ties to Russia's military intelligence arm, the GRU, to steal U.S. military secrets from defense contractors.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/justice-department-investigates-sci-hub-founder-on-suspicion-of-working-for-russian-intelligence/2019/12/19/9dbcb6e6-2277-11ea-a153-dce4b94e4249_story.html|title=Justice Department investigates Sci-Hub founder on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence|date=2019-12-19|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2019-12-20|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-09-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909152259/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/justice-department-investigates-sci-hub-founder-on-suspicion-of-working-for-russian-intelligence/2019/12/19/9dbcb6e6-2277-11ea-a153-dce4b94e4249_story.html|url-status=live}} Elbakyan has denied this, saying that Sci-Hub "is not in any way directly affiliated with Russian or some other country's intelligence," but noting that "of course, there could be some indirect help. The same as with donations, anyone can send them; they are completely anonymous, so I do not know who exactly is donating to Sci-Hub. There could be some help that I’m simply unaware of. I can only add that I write all of Sci-Hub code and design myself and I’m doing the server’s configuration."{{cite web|last1=Rohrlich|first1=Justin|title=The "Robin Hood of science" says she's not a Russian asset|url=https://qz.com/1773765/sci-hub-creator-says-shes-not-working-for-russian-intelligence/|publisher=Quartz|access-date=21 January 2020|language=en|date=23 December 2019|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725021403/https://qz.com/1773765/sci-hub-creator-says-shes-not-working-for-russian-intelligence/|url-status=live}}

On May 8, 2021, Elbakyan tweeted that the FBI had served a subpoena to Apple seeking her iCloud data. The tweet included a screengrab of the notice from Apple.{{cite web |title='received a few minutes ago to my GMail. at first I thought it was a spam and was about to delete the email, but it turned out to be about FBI requesting my data from Apple' |url=https://twitter.com/ringo_ring/status/1390782451140767749 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508190000/https://twitter.com/ringo_ring/status/1390782451140767749 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |access-date=9 May 2021 |website=Twitter |language=en}} The tweet was retweeted by Edward Snowden, who commented: "Members of Congress should be making calls about this. Journalists should be asking the White House and DOJ questions. The founder of Sci-hub — unquestionably one of the most important sites for academics in the world — should not be subject to persecution for their work."{{Cite web|last=Snowden|first=Edward|date=2021-05-08|title=Members of Congress should be making calls about this|url=https://twitter.com/snowden/status/1391104503391395840|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-21|website=Twitter|language=en|quote=Members of Congress should be making calls about this. Journalists should be asking the White House and DOJ questions. The founder of Sci-hub — unquestionably one of the most important sites for academics in the world — should not be subject to persecution for their work.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509034834/https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/1391104503391395840 |archive-date=2021-05-09 }}

File:Alexandra Elbakyan.jpg

In December 2016, Nature named Elbakyan as one of the 10 people who most mattered in science that year. Researchers who use Sci-Hub often thank Elbakyan in the Acknowledgments section of their papers.For examples, see:

• {{Cite web |last=Borba |first=Pedro |title=A Construção da Ordem Política como Processo de Longa Duração: Estados Pós-Coloniais e Desenvolvimento Desigual na América Latina (c.1770-1945) |url=https://www.academia.edu/39004528 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321130348/https://www.academia.edu/39004528 |archive-date=2022-03-21 |access-date=2021-10-21}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Paiva |first=Isadora Campregher |date=January 2018 |title=O Trauma da Primeira Guerra e a Construção de Masculinidades Hegemônicas no Cinema Alemão e Britânico de 1919 a 1933 |url=https://www.academia.edu/39225170 |url-status=live |journal=Dissertação de Mestrado, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociologia, UFRGS |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321130348/https://www.academia.edu/39225170 |archive-date=2022-03-21 |access-date=2021-10-21}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Hannay |first=Peter |date=2017-01-01 |title=A non-device specific framework for the development of forensic locational data analysis procedure for consumer grade small and embedded devices |url=https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2026 |url-status=live |journal=Theses: Doctorates and Masters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024164432/https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2026/ |archive-date=2021-10-24 |access-date=2021-10-21}}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Medrano |first1=Fernando |last2=Cerpa |first2=Patrich |last3=Reyes |first3=Diego |last4=Cuevas |first4=Cristian |date=2017-12-01 |title=Observations on the breeding behavior of the Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) in the Atacama Desert, Chile |journal=Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia |language=en |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=245–247 |doi=10.1007/BF03544403 |issn=2178-7875 |doi-access=free}}
• {{Cite thesis |last=Audebert |first=Nicolas |title=Classification de données massives de télédétection |date=October 2018 |access-date=2021-10-21 |degree=Theses |publisher=Université Bretagne Sud |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01960350 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021231527/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01960350 |archive-date=2021-10-21 |url-status=live}}
• {{Citation |last1=Basharat |first1=Zarrin |title=Communication: Theoretical Insights from Binding of Neigleria fowleri Cell Division Proteins with Amoebicidal Quassinoids |date=2018-07-14 |url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/367912v1 |access-date=2024-05-17 |language=en |doi=10.1101/367912 |last2=Zaib |first2=Shumaila |last3=Yasmin |first3=Azra}}{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}

For her actions in creating Sci-Hub, Elbakyan has been called a hero,{{Cite news |date=2019-10-05 |title=Pirate website Sci-Hub is making the world's academic research free to all. Some call her a hero. Others |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/10/05/pirate-website-sci-hub-is-making-the-worlds-academic-research-free-to-all-but-at-what-cost.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026031109/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/10/05/pirate-website-sci-hub-is-making-the-worlds-academic-research-free-to-all-but-at-what-cost.html |archive-date=2021-10-26 |access-date=2021-10-26 |work=The Toronto Star |language=en-CA |issn=0319-0781}} for example by Nobel laureate Randy Schekman.{{Cite web |title="Александра Элбакян — герой. Я аплодирую ее усилиям и ее смелости" |url=https://indicator.ru/medicine/intervyu-rendi-shekman.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022001329/https://indicator.ru/medicine/intervyu-rendi-shekman.htm |archive-date=2021-10-22 |access-date=2021-10-22 |website=indicator.ru |language=ru}} Ars Technica has compared her to Aaron Swartz,{{Cite web |last=Kravets |first=David |date=3 April 2016 |title=A spiritual successor to Aaron Swartz is angering publishers all over again |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/04/a-spiritual-successor-to-aaron-swartz-is-angering-publishers-all-over-again/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111180537/http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/04/a-spiritual-successor-to-aaron-swartz-is-angering-publishers-all-over-again/ |archive-date=January 11, 2017 |access-date=18 April 2016 |website=Ars Technica |publisher=Condé Nast |quote=Just as Swartz did, this hacker is freeing tens of millions of research articles from paywalls, metaphorically hoisting a middle finger to the academic publishing industry, which, by the way, has again reacted with labels like 'hacker' and 'criminal.' Meet Alexandra Elbakyan, the developer of Sci-Hub, a Pirate Bay-like site for the science nerd. It's a portal that offers free and searchable access "to most publishers, especially well-known ones."}} and The New York Times has compared her to Edward Snowden. Edward Snowden acknowledged Sci-Hub to be one of the most important websites for academics in the world. She has also been called a modern-day "Robin Hood",{{Cite web |title=Black market in academic papers is spooking publishers |url=https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2016042009581751 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026033636/https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2016042009581751 |archive-date=2021-10-26 |access-date=2021-10-26 |website=University World News}}{{Cite web |title=Kazakhstan's Robin Hood: The Geopolitics of Sci-Hub |url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/kazakhstans-robin-hood-the-geopolitics-of-sci-hub/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026033633/https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/kazakhstans-robin-hood-the-geopolitics-of-sci-hub/ |archive-date=2021-10-26 |access-date=2021-10-26 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}} a "Robin Hood of science",{{cite news |last=Oxenham |first=Simon |date=10 February 2016 |title=Meet the Robin Hood of Science |url=http://bigthink.com/neurobonkers/a-pirate-bay-for-science |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217155028/http://bigthink.com/neurobonkers/a-pirate-bay-for-science |archive-date=17 February 2016 |access-date=22 February 2016 |publisher=The Big Think, Inc.}} and "Science's Pirate Queen".

Elbakyan has several biological species named in her honor:

• Idiogramma elbakyanae, a species of parasitoid wasps discovered by Russian and Mexican entomologists in 2017.{{cite journal |last1=Khalaim |first1=Andrey I. |last2=Ruíz-Cancino |first2=Enrique |date=31 August 2017 |title=Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) associated with xyelid sawflies (Hymenoptera, Xyelidae) in Mexico |journal=Journal of Hymenoptera Research |volume=58 |pages=17–27 |doi=10.3897/jhr.58.12919 |doi-access=free}} Elbakyan was offended by this, saying that "the real parasites are scientific publishers, and Sci-Hub, on the contrary, fights for equal access to scientific information."{{citation |title=Elbakyan pulls Sci-Hub from Russia |date=7 September 2017 |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/elbakyan-pulls-sci-hub-russia-631281 |access-date=11 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190309045342/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/elbakyan-pulls-sci-hub-russia-631281 |archive-date=9 March 2019 |url-status=live}} The Russian entomologist responded that he supports Sci-Hub and naming was not an insult.{{cite web |last1=Котляр |first1=Павел |date=5 September 2017 |title=Варитесь в своем дерьме сами |url=https://www.gazeta.ru/science/2017/09/05_a_10875050.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119234104/https://www.gazeta.ru/science/2017/09/05_a_10875050.shtml |archive-date=19 November 2017 |access-date=21 October 2017 |publisher=Gazeta.ru |language=ru}} The article says that "The species is named in honour of Alexandra Elbakyan (Kazakhstan/Russia), creator of the web-site Sci-Hub, in recognition of her contribution to making scientific knowledge available for all researchers."
• {{interlanguage link|Brachyplatystoma elbakyani|es}}, an extinct species of catfish discovered by Argentine paleontologists in 2020.{{Cite journal |last1=Agnolin |first1=Federico L. |last2=Bogan |first2=Sergio |date=6 March 2020 |title=Goliath catfish Brachyplatystoma Bleeker, 1862 (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) from the Miocene of Argentina |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S089598112030064X |journal=Journal of South American Earth Sciences |language=en |volume=100 |pages=102551 |bibcode=2020JSAES.10002551A |doi=10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102551 |s2cid=216380969 |url-access=subscription}}{{cite web |date=22 February 2021 |editor1-last=Grismado |editor1-first=Cristian |editor2-last=Ramírez |editor2-first=Martín |title=Nuevas especies 2020 |url=https://www.macnconicet.gob.ar/wp-content/uploads/Nuevas-especies-MACN-2020_vf.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116210947/https://www.macnconicet.gob.ar/wp-content/uploads/Nuevas-especies-MACN-2020_vf.pdf |archive-date=16 November 2022 |access-date=24 October 2022 |publisher=Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” |page=25 |language=es}}
• {{ill|Spigelia elbakyaniae|d|Q106909714}}, a species of flowering plant from Mexico discovered in 2020.{{Cite journal |last1=Islas-Hernández |first1=C. Sofia |last2=Alvarado-Cárdenas |first2=Leonardo O. |date=2020-12-24 |title=Spigelia elbakyanii, a new species from Oaxaca, Mexico |url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.477.2.12 |url-status=live |journal=Phytotaxa |volume=477 |issue=2 |pages=277–283 |doi=10.11646/phytotaxa.477.2.12 |issn=1179-3163 |s2cid=234417932 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228095923/https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.477.2.12 |archive-date=2020-12-28 |access-date=2021-10-21}}{{BioRef|worldplants|genus=Spigelia|species=elbakyanii|access-date=24 October 2022}} (At first Spigelia elbakyanii, then changed by the authors because the "correct termination, however, for an epithet dedicated to a woman (Alexandra Elbakyan) is -iae, instead of -ii".{{Cite journal |last1=Islas-Hernández |first1=C. Sofia |last2=Alvarado-Cárdenas |first2=Leonardo O. |date=7 June 2021 |title=Taxonomic adjustments in Mexican Spigelia (Loganiaceae) |url=https://www.phytoneuron.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/23PhytoN-SpigeliaNames.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Phytoneuron |volume=2021 |issue=23 |pages=1–2 |issn=2153-733X |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119023941/https://www.phytoneuron.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/23PhytoN-SpigeliaNames.pdf |archive-date=19 November 2022 |access-date=24 October 2022}}
• Amphisbaena elbakyanae, a species of worm lizard discovered in 2021.{{Cite journal |last1=Torres-Ramírez |first1=Juan José |last2=Angarita-Sierra |first2=Teddy |last3=Vargas-Ramírez |first3=Mario |date=2021-03-05 |title=A new species of Amphisbaena (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae) from the Orinoquian region of Colombia |url=https://vertebrate-zoology.arphahub.com/article/59461/ |url-status=live |journal=Vertebrate Zoology |volume=71 |pages=55–74 |doi=10.3897/vz.71.e59461 |issn=2625-8498 |s2cid=233805682 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184659/https://vertebrate-zoology.arphahub.com/article/59461/ |archive-date=2021-07-09 |access-date=2021-10-21 |doi-access=free}}
• {{ill|Sibogasyrinx elbakyanae|c|Category:Sibogasyrinx elbakyanae|d|Q110994322}}, a species of deep-sea snail discovered by researchers from Russia and France in 2021.{{Cite journal |last1=Kantor |first1=Yuri I. |last2=Puillandre |first2=Nicolas |date=2021-09-28 |title=Rare, deep-water and similar: revision of Sibogasyrinx (Conoidea: Cochlespiridae) |url=https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/1509 |url-status=live |journal=European Journal of Taxonomy |issue=773 |pages=19–60 |doi=10.5852/ejt.2021.773.1509 |issn=2118-9773 |s2cid=244236952 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021225930/https://europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu/index.php/ejt/article/view/1509 |archive-date=2021-10-21 |access-date=2021-10-21 |doi-access=free}}
• Hyloscirtus elbakyanaeVarela-Jaramillo A, Streicher JW, Venegas PJ, Ron SR (2025) Three new species of torrent treefrogs (Anura, Hylidae) of the Hyloscirtus bogotensis group from the eastern Andean slopes and the biogeographic history of the genus. ZooKeys 1231: 233-292. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1231.124926

Elbakyan was nominated twice for John Maddox Prize and made it to the final shortlist. Some researchers say that Elbakyan deserves a Nobel Prize for her work.{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Sidharth |date=18 September 2021 |title=Will Indian researchers lose free access to scientific papers? |url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/09/18/will-indian-researchers-lose-free-access-to-scientific-papers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918085054/https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/09/18/will-indian-researchers-lose-free-access-to-scientific-papers |archive-date=2021-09-18 |access-date=2021-10-26 |website=Newslaundry |quote=Abi Tamim Vanak, a research associate at the Ashoka Trust for Research on Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore, went so far as to argue that Elbakyan deserved a Nobel Prize. "SciHub has been my go to resource for accessing paywalled scientific literature. Alexandra Elbakyan has done more for science than all the top publishing houses in the world. She has freed knowledge from the clutches of corporate greed," he added. "She deserves a Nobel Prize."}}{{Cite web |last=Jose Luis |first=Gorriz |date=10 Jun 2020 |title=Alexandra Elbakyan is the person who has contributed the most to the dissemination of science in the world |url=https://twitter.com/jlgorriz/status/1270665647735873538 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610104312/https://twitter.com/jlgorriz/status/1270665647735873538 |archive-date=2020-06-10 |quote=Alexandra Elbakyan is the person who has contributed the most to the dissemination of science in the world. Good candidate for the Nobel Prize. Scientists are very grateful for her work. It is time for the world to consider that access to science should be facilitated}} Wildlife scientist T R Shankar Raman has stated in an interview: "I am not a fan of the Nobel Prizes, given they have their own biases and have failed to adequately acknowledge scientific contributions of women, for example. But given that its stated purpose is to award those who have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind, Alexandra Elbakyan certainly qualifies."{{Cite web |title=Commercial Science Journals: A Luxury Market? |url=https://www.sbmt.org.br/portal/revistas-cientificas-comerciais-um-mercado-de-luxo/?lang=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026041107/https://www.sbmt.org.br/portal/revistas-cientificas-comerciais-um-mercado-de-luxo/?lang=en |archive-date=2021-10-26 |access-date=2021-10-26 |website=SBMT - Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical |quote=SBMT: Would you nominate Alexandra Elbakyan, from Sci-Hub for the Nobel Prize. If so, how to start a global movement for this? Dr. TR Shankar Raman: I am not a fan of the Nobel Prizes, given they have their own biases and have failed to adequately acknowledge scientific contributions of women, for example. But given that its stated purpose is to award those who have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind, Alexandra Elbakyan certainly qualifies.}}

In 2023 Elbakyan received the Award for Access to Scientific Knowledge from the Electronic Frontier Foundation for her "vital work in helping to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people."{{Cite web |last=Release |first=Press |date=2023-07-26 |title=Electronic Frontier Foundation to Present Annual EFF Awards to Alexandra Asanovna Elbakyan, Library Freedom Project, and Signal Foundation |url=https://www.eff.org/press/releases/electronic-frontier-foundation-present-annual-eff-awards-alexandra-asanovna-elbakyan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811110252/https://www.eff.org/press/releases/electronic-frontier-foundation-present-annual-eff-awards-alexandra-asanovna-elbakyan |archive-date=11 August 2023 |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |language=en}}

• {{cite web |url=https://engineuring.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/why-sci-hub-is-the-true-solution-for-open-access-reply-to-criticism |title=Why Sci-Hub is the true solution for Open Access: reply to criticism |last=Elbakyan |first=Alexandra |date=2016-02-24}}
• {{cite web|url=https://openaccess.unt.edu/symposium/2016/info/transcript-and-translation-sci-hub-presentation|title=Why Science is Better with Communism? The Case of Sci-Hub|last=Elbakyan|first=Alexandra|date=2016-05-20|publisher=Open Access Symposium 2016, University of North Texas}}
• Elbakyan, Alexandra (2009) [https://zenodo.org/record/3714258 "Электроэнцефалограмма человека как биометрическая характеристика в системах контроля доступа"] [Human EEG as a biometric feature in access control systems] Bachelor Thesis, Satbayev University.
• Elbakyan, Alexandra (2019) [https://zenodo.org/record/3714261 "Образ Духа Божьего в текстах еврейской Библии"] [Image of the Holy Spirit in Hebrew Bible texts] Master Thesis, Saint Petersburg State University.

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• Aaron Swartz
• Anna's Archive
• Copyright abolition
• ICanHazPDF
• Library Genesis
• Open Access
• Peter Sunde
• Z-Library

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{{Reflist|2}}

• Belluz, Julia (18 February 2016). [https://www.vox.com/2016/2/18/11047052/alexandra-elbakyan-interview "Meet Alexandra Elbakyan, the researcher who's breaking the law to make science free for all"]. Vox.
• Murphy, Kate (12 March 2016). [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/opinion/sunday/should-all-research-papers-be-free.html "Should All Research Papers Be Free?"]. The New York Times.
• {{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/meet-the-woman-who-put-50-million-stolen-articles-online-so-you-can-read-them-for-free-a6964176.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404020133/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/meet-the-woman-who-put-50-million-stolen-articles-online-so-you-can-read-them-for-free-a6964176.html |archive-date=2016-04-04 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=Meet the woman who put 50 million stolen articles online so you can read them for free|last1=Rosenwald|first1=Michael S.|work=The Independent|date=5 September 2017}}
• {{cite news|last1=Graber-Stiehl|first1=Ian|title=Science's Pirate Queen|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/8/16985666/alexandra-elbakyan-sci-hub-open-access-science-papers-lawsuit|work=The Verge|date=8 February 2018}}
• Nelson, Felicity (6 February 2019). [https://medicalrepublic.com.au/one-perplexing-pirate-plundering-publishers/18957 "How one perplexing pirate is plundering the publishers"]. The Medical Republic.
• Bozkurt, Aras (2021). [http://www.asianjde.com/ojs/index.php/AsianJDE/article/view/559/339 "A Critical Conversation with Alexandra Elbakyan: Is she the Pirate Queen, Robin Hood, a Scholarly Activist, or a Butterfly Flapping its Wings?]". Asian Journal of Distance Education.
• Altınışık, Ezgi N. (27 February 2021) [http://bilimveaydinlanma.org/a-robin-hood-in-the-world-of-science-alexandra-elbakyan/ "A Robin Hood in the World of Science: Alexandra Elbakyan"]. Bilim ve Aydınlanma Akademisi.

{{Commons category|Alexandra Elbakyan}}

• {{Citation |url=https://sci-hub.ru/alexandra|title=Elbakyan's autobiography|last=Elbakyan|first=Alexandra|date=2020 |language=en}}
• [https://engineuring.wordpress.com/ Engineuring] – Elbakyan's blog

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