Ethics Assignment

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Running head: LESSIG'S FRAMEWORK 1

LESSIG'S FRAMEWORK 2

Introduction

Lessig's framework is a model that it seeks to describe the methods or state of regulation in the 21st century. The framework seeks to add one more essential factor to regulation. Traditionally, Lessig (2006) acknowledges, there are norms, the market and legislation to regulate liberty for citizens. His framework adds architecture or constraints arising from technology in the current era. He adds that his, “argument is not that there’s only one threat to liberty, or that we should forget other, more traditional threats. It is instead that we must add one more increasingly salient threat to the list” (121). Therefore, according to Lessig’s (2006) framework, I will write about the four main threats in this paper.

Market

The online presence of individuals today presents a viable market for sellers and potential buyers. As a result, there are bound to be market-generated restrictions. These limitations include websites with high traffic get rewarded by advertisers while those with declining traffic get dropped. Some services charged to the user in the online market like maintaining a website which means not everyone can secure such a service. These are the regulations that are within the cyberspace market (Lessig, 2006).

Law

Cyberspace faces constraints today from the several laws that exist. Such laws include the defamation laws, copyright laws, and obscenity laws. All these are laws that demand certain behavior from all of us using the cyberspace. There are repercussions for those who contravene these laws, and so we are all bound by these laws to restrain our use of the cyberspace. In the current world, the legislatures enact a law; the prosecutors threaten with it while courts convict individuals found guilty. Consequently, as users of cyberspace, we are not at liberty to use to the cyberspace as we see fit.

Architecture

The architecture, as per Lessig (2006), is the materials or technology making up a given thing. It is a form of restriction for the people in the cyberspace. The hardware and software part of the cyberspace present certain restrictions to the user. A good example is the use of passwords or lack of it on some sites. Also, there are sites where encryption is option meaning only the intended target person will decipher the information and no other. These are the limitations that the cyberspace itself facilitates which act as threats to liberty to the users within the cyberspace.

Social Norms

The community as a group within the cyberspace has set some restrictions. When one person goes against the norm, they faced imposed restrictions. For instance, today people ca block communication from people they consider too talkative or stalkers. Others can have their accounts on social media closed indefinitely for posting things that the society or the government does not define as normal or allowable. These are ways to keep people in check using the will of the community and the social norms (Lessig, 2006).

Conclusion

Leissig (2006) has formulated a feasible framework that correctly identifies the main threat to cyberspace liberty. These threats are explaining with adequate illustrations from social norms, law, market to architecture. The architectural restrictions are new to the others as it is unique to the 21st century. Architectural constraints form an inherent threat to liberty as it is the construction of the entire cyberspace that facilitates these limitations.