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Digital Platforms: Responsibilities Then and Now (Fall 2019)

Code V.2 by Lawrence Lessig (2006). Read p. 1-8

Here Lessig lays out one of his most famous contributions to the study of cyberspace – the notion that “code is law.” In the assigned section on sovereignty in cyberspace, Lessig explores the implications of this thesis for existing power structures. How do today’s platforms reflect the “code is law” concept? Where do their powers and responsibilities match those of nation states, and where do they fall short? And what implications do they have for the founding principles of the internet?