MixedThe Times (UK)... offers a blueprint for the regulation of digital technology...It is an ambitious goal, and the book suffers from the scale of the task it sets itself. Since technology is now intertwined with just about every aspect of society, it is hard to get a grip on what exactly the object of this regulation is, other than, well, everything. Consequently, for a book that seeks to address systemic problems, The Digital Republic has a rather piecemeal and slippery quality which makes it hard for the reader to get a grip on it ... It is stuffed to the gills with information ... There are 39 short chapters, some of which seem to end before they get going and it’s not always clear how they connect to each other. As a software designer might put it, the book’s UX is less than optimal ... I’m not sure Susskind gives enough weight to the downside of regulation. It risks entrenching corporate power and hindering start-ups, since only big companies can afford to hire the number of compliance officers required to deal with it ... When Susskind addresses a specific topic in depth, his analysis and recommendations are worth taking seriously.
