1. The four crucial areas in which we must make choices regarding the future of cyberspace are (1) intellectual property, (2) privacy, (3) free speech and (4) sovereignty.
2. First, Lessig considers the protection of intellectual property rights crucial because Internet technology appears to pose a threat to such rights that the law may not be able to control. In particular, Lessig is concerned with copyright protection, for which he states that the "threat posed by technology is maximal, while the protection promised by law is minimal" (125). Lessig notes, for example, that the traditional legal constraints against copyright violations are not enough to protect copyright on the Internet. He does agree that increased efforts to educate people about copyright and government-funded copyright management software systems are helpful in protecting copyright on the Internet. However, he ultimately argues that protective code will increasingly displace law as the primary defense of intellectual property in cyberspace (126). He also argues that this protection may be more complete than any the law could provide through the use of "trusted systems," which only provide access to copyrighted information to those whose systems only enable them to use it in very specific and agreed-upon ways (129).
Second, Lessig considers privacy a crucial area because the Internet makes it much easier to "monitor" and "search" people's private lives than ever before. As he notes, businesses can now collect legally much information about people's lifestyles and spending habits. That information can be stored and sold without your consent or even knowledge. He finds this area particularly crucial because this information can be used improperly and insidiously from credit or mortgage denials to denials of a seat on an airplane.
Third, Lessig considers the freedom of speech to be an area crucial to the development of cyberspace. Speech is another ...