East Coast Code and West Coast Code
by John from John D. Cook on (#42EC2)
In 1999, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig stated that software is a kind of law. The algorithms of tech giants have an influence comparable to, and maybe in some ways greater than, statutory law.
The code is law. " Activists concerned with defending liberty, privacy or access must watch the code coming from the Valley-call it West Coast Code-as much as the code coming from Congress-call it East Coast Code.
I imagine more people would agree with him now than did when he said this a couple decades ago.
If you can call statutory law "code" then you could also call algorithms "law" and speak of East Coast Law and West Coast Law.
Source: The Architecture of Privacy
