The "alarming and impassioned"* book on how the Internet is redefining constitutional law, now reissued as the first popular book revised online by...
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reviews
Jan 31, 2012
Sandi
rated it: 
Very easy to read, but a bit repetitive. This is an interesting introduction to some regulation debates surrounding cyberspace.
It also proposes a specific fix to some of the problems (a coded ID system which would eliminate some of the anonymity of the web) which seems a bit too neat.
Having such a solution in the book is both a great virtue of it and a downside as well. The good part is that this solution makes the book not merely a series of paranoid criticisms, wh More...
It also proposes a specific fix to some of the problems (a coded ID system which would eliminate some of the anonymity of the web) which seems a bit too neat.
Having such a solution in the book is both a great virtue of it and a downside as well. The good part is that this solution makes the book not merely a series of paranoid criticisms, wh More...
Aug 05, 2011
Describes how the internet or cyberspace is being regulated and the role of code, encompassing embedded software and hardware code as well as current laws. With regulability being determined by architecture, norms, law and market forces, cyberspace may well end up being the most regulated and intrusive "space". In introducing cyberspace, it distinguishes cyberspace from the internet based on the lifespan plus the level of control and interaction e.g. internet banking vs a virtual world
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Jan 09, 2012
Brad
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This book goes over the new challenges that the internet introduces. Gone is the idea of a black and white geological location of anyone connected to the Net. If you buy Nazi paraphernalia (ignoring for a moment the shameful fact that there is such a thing) in France from a person in the United States you've broken the law...or have you? In France, it's illegal to buy anything Nazi-related, in the US it's not.
This is but one example of the new problems we're dealing with because of ho More...
This is but one example of the new problems we're dealing with because of ho More...
Dec 22, 2011
Andrew
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In Code: Version 2.0 Lessig gives us the best kind of general-audience academic book. He focuses on asking questions and presenting frameworks of thought, but he doesn't hide his own opinions about how those questions should be resolved. He synthesizes literature and provides good references, but in an unobtrusive way that doesn't interrupt the flow of his own writing. And most importantly, he opens the door to an exciting array of ideas.
Personally, but I found most interesting were More...
Personally, but I found most interesting were More...
Apr 22, 2010
Emily
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Would have given it 2 1/2 stars if I was able to. It was okay...read it as required reading for a class..a bit of it went a bit above my head. But the majority was also a bit outdated as this was written in 1999. He has a newer version of this from 2006, and I wish I had read that instead. I believe the newer one would have different views of his ideas of controlling and regulating the Internet and whether it is possible...discussing law, code, and the ethics it involves. It was interesting, but
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Nov 09, 2011
Hans
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This should be required reading for any digital rights activist. Although Lessig is ocassionaly quit the American lawyer he manages to make a set of important arguments with a clarity of thought that I haven't encountered elsewhere in the thinking on intellectual property, privacy and free speech.
He argues compellingly that "Code Is Law" and the way he makes explicit what "things" regulate (law, norms, market an architecture) is an incredibly valuable tool for fr More...
He argues compellingly that "Code Is Law" and the way he makes explicit what "things" regulate (law, norms, market an architecture) is an incredibly valuable tool for fr More...
Mar 22, 2010
Steven
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I had to read this for a class on technology and policy. It's the first book by Lessig that I've read. The writing seemed tortuous to get through, but maybe that's because it was edited by a group using a wiki. It's really not until the last couple chapters that Lessig reaches his thesis -- that we should be wary of taking a libertarian response towards changes to the architecture, norms, and laws of cyberspace. Lessig wants us to thoughtfully consider these changes and work within the structure
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Jan 26, 2010
Cara
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This book has some fairly interesting perspectives on our situation of being in the real world and cyberspace at the same time, and what that means for everything from copyright to consumerism. However, I think it was overly wordy and got into too many side topics.
Jul 07, 2008
Zach
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While this is the first of Lessig's books I've read, it seems to function as an introduction to the scope of his body of work. For that reason, and perhaps because the first edition was published in 1999, it is at times rather pedagogic, especially for someone who has grown up with the internet. His style is lucid and readable, although I think 15-20% of the text is spent talking about the arguments he is going to make, as opposed to simply making them. Still, a work of formidable intellectual v
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Sep 15, 2011
Scott
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I've read the first version, which was quite interesting, possibly seminal, but really only had enough material for a long magazine article.
Mar 18, 2008
Jack
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This is a really terrific assessment of the current state of Information, particularly as it exists on the Internet. Lessig's biggest concerns are showing readers that the current state of the Internet has nothing to do with the essential nature of the Internet, but is rather the product of conscious choices that have been made to affect the code behind the Internet throughout its history. He also hammers home that a change in the code (or the law, norms, or market that house/effect the Intern
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Aug 31, 2011
Nic
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Some interesting stuff here about how regulation and code are interdependent. Very dry though.
Feb 22, 2009
Chris
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i went through a copyright law phase in middle school. mostly because of pirating music.
Jun 12, 2007
Heather
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An interesting take on the internet and digital technology in general. Lessig claims that far from being an anarchy, the internet is bound rigidly by a set of laws: its code. By changing the design of the code, we change the space, the culture, the use.
Lessig argues for a series of changes which he thinks should be made to the code. Many of these deal with the intellectual property, copyright, and ownership issues which Lessig deals with at Creative Commons.
This is the o More...
Lessig argues for a series of changes which he thinks should be made to the code. Many of these deal with the intellectual property, copyright, and ownership issues which Lessig deals with at Creative Commons.
This is the o More...
Mar 03, 2008
Rachel
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Had to read this for a class, but was surprised to see I actually enjoyed it! A really easy, interesting read about the effect of the internet and technology on our culture, law and government. There is some scary stuff in here about the power of technology and what people are willing to give up in terms of human rights, just so they can have their life somewhat easier because of internet capabilities. Big Brother stuff all over the place..only it's true and Lessing shows you where and how to co
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Oct 04, 2007
Budi
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A great book. It gives me a fresh look at how technology affects laws (and how people react to it). Lessig is one of my fav writers.
This book is a must if you want to study (or just want to know the issue around) cyberlaw. Granted, his view is more closer to the open source and anti-IPR people like me.
This book is a must if you want to study (or just want to know the issue around) cyberlaw. Granted, his view is more closer to the open source and anti-IPR people like me.
Oct 02, 2008
Erica
rated it:
while i appreciate the updated-as-a-wiki sort of thing, it reads as if it were written by committee. which is very disappointing since Lessig's other books show that he is actually a fantastic writer.
Still, good info if you're into it.
Still, good info if you're into it.
Feb 15, 2008
Patrick
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Perceptive as always, but the wiki-edited nature of this revision yielded some sloppiness. The Future of Ideas and Free Culture were more intense and enjoyable explorations of the nexus between the internet and the law.
Oct 18, 2008
Nate
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An early warning of the mechanisms of control that would vie to strangle the internet in the 21st century. written when the naive were saying the 'net would route around censorship. A seminal text.
Aug 15, 2007
Max
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I'm skeptical (and a little surprised) by Lessig's willingness to embrace a top-down architecture approach to net design, but this book is a must-read for anyone that wants to be more than just a surfer.
Aug 31, 2008
MILL NON-FIC ADULT ST MAIN RM 343.73 LES
Author: Lawrence Lessig
Publisher: Basic Books, 2000
ISBN: 046503912X, 0465039138
Author: Lawrence Lessig
Publisher: Basic Books, 2000
ISBN: 046503912X, 0465039138
Dec 04, 2011
Jacqueline
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Revisiting Lessig for the dissertation, particularly his perspectives on regulation.
Feb 08, 2008
Dsanford
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still reading - addresses freedom, privacy, intellectual property choices - about the net
Jan 09, 2008
Chhaya
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Interesting and timely read given the current debate on network neutrality.
Jun 02, 2007
Kateywatey
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A must-read for anyone who spends at least an hour of their lives on the internet.
