Digisprudence: Code as Law Rebooted

Designers of smartphones, websites, and IoT devices have a significant amount of control over our behavior through their software code. This control raises questions about the acceptability of this kind of control in a democracy. Laurence Diver's book combines legal theory, philosophy of technology, and programming practice to develop a new theoretical and practical approach to the design of legitimate software. He argues that the rules of code should exhibit certain formal characteristics to be acceptable in a democracy and that programming languages, integrated development environments (IDEs), and agile development practice can play a constitutional role in realizing these principles. The book interweaves theory and practice, including insights into real-world technologies and case studies on blockchain applications and the Internet of Things.

Format: Hardback
Length: 276 pages
Publication date: 31 December 2021
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Whenever you use a smartphone, website, or IoT device, a designer's software code plays a significant role in determining your behavior. From the outset, this code defines the possibilities available, leaving limited room for interpretation or challenge of its rules. This level of control raises questions about the acceptability of such control in a democratic society. If we expect legislators to uphold values of legitimacy when creating the legal rules that govern our lives, shouldn't we also expect the same from the designers whose code has a more direct impact on us?

In his book, Laurence Diver combines insights from legal theory, philosophy of technology, and programming practice to develop a novel theoretical and practical approach to the design of legitimate software. The book critically engages with the rules of code, arguing that, like laws, they should possess certain formal characteristics to be acceptable in a democracy. The resulting digisprudential affordances translate ideas of legitimacy from legal philosophy into the world of code design, facilitated by the constitutional role played by programming languages, integrated development environments (IDEs), and agile development practice.

Throughout the text, theory and practice are interwoven, offering insights into real-world technologies and case studies on blockchain applications and the Internet of Things. By examining the design of software and its impact on users, Diver aims to provide a framework for creating software that is both legitimate and ethical, contributing to a more democratic and responsible digital ecosystem.

Weight: 536g
Dimension: 166 x 245 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474485326