Code: version 2.0

There's a common belief that cyberspace cannot be regulated-that it is, in its very essence, immune from the government's (or anyone else's) . 'Code', first published in 2000, argues that this belief is wrong. It is not in the nature of cyberspace to be unregulable; cyberspace has no "nature." It only has code-the software and hardware that make cyberspace what it is. That code can create a place of freedom-as the original architecture of the Net did-or a place of oppressive .

Under the influence of commerce, cyberspace is becoming a highly regulable space, where behavior is much more tightly led than in real space. But that's not inevitable either. We can-we must-choose what kind of cyberspace we want and what freedoms we will guarantee. These choices are all about architecture: about what kind of code will govern cyberspace, and who will it. In this realm, code is the most significant form of law, and it is up to lawyers, policymakers, and especially citizens to decide what values that code embodies. Since its original publication, this seminal book has earned the status of a minor classic. This second edition, or Version 2.0, has been prepared through the author's wiki, a web site that allows readers to edit the text, making this the first reader-edited revision of a popular book.

劳伦斯·莱斯格，现任斯坦福大学法学院教授，是斯坦福大网络与社会研究中心创始人，全球是最负盛名的网络法律专家，被《商业周刊》称为“互联网时代的守护神”。“网络法律界具原创思想的教授”、“对互联网最具影响的25人之一”，被《纽约客》称为“互联网时代最重要的知识产权思想家”。他几乎参与了所有重大论争：美国在线一时代华纳合并案、Napster音乐版权大虞、微软反垄断案、俄罗斯黑客事件、DVD破解案……他还对美国微软反垄断案审判结果产生了重要的影响。