The Authority of Law in Times of Cyberspace

As the Internet grows ever more pervasive, the debate continues over what ought to be the proper relationship between existing law and this new virtual realm called "cyberspace." In this Article, Professor Mayer-Schonberger examines the question from a postmodern perspective and presents his arguments in a unique format comprised of a four-act play to better convey the emotional aspects of the debate and its potential for variable outcomes. The acts are set around only two characters: "authority of law," which represents "the law" and all its attendant social processes, and "cyberspace," which represents both the physical and communicative structures of that realm. Each of the four acts represents a different view of the relationship between "the law" and "cyberspace.

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