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Comment by FridgeSeal | Hacker News Reader

The idea is to discourage people from using propaganda to manipulate democracy. I honestly don't think that throwing open the floodgates so that effectively anyone can would fix the problem at all. Realistically all you're going to do there is make it cheaper and easier for existing players and worse for everyone subjected to it.

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One solution to OP's problem is to strengthen libel and slander laws to deter people from casually publishing fraudulent news, akin to a DMCA takedown request but perhaps a bit more bite. In this case I would distinguish publishing from 'sharing' with a bit more legal finesse.

The problem is the press will scream bloody murder at any attempt to reign in their right to publish, perhaps rightfully so. IANAL.

How enforcable would that be outside US borders, realistically?

Good point

Whilst I appreciate the concern, so long as the US government has platforms such as the EC-130 Compass Call ( which can overpower broadcast frequencies with its own propaganda ) in order to 'shape' democracy in other nations it's quite hard for people outside the USA to think anything other than 'a taste of your own medicine'.

The only thing that seems different is that it was the 'other guys' who were playing psyops better this time around, rather than the incumbent government.

Also what about Hillary Clinton's emails while we're at it. That is the real scandal. The other issue should be ignored because the world isn't perfect.

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