When you're the federal government hammer, everything looks like a nail.
This time the nail is the Internet, which has been used by nefarious people for *gasp* nefarious things.
To save Americans from Russian bots and fake news, a policy paper by Sen. Mark Warner proposes "unprecedented and undemocratic government intervention into online press and markets, including 'comprehensive (GDPR-like) data protection legislation' of the sort enacted in the E.U.," according to Reason.com.
Reason continues:
"Today's tools seem almost built for Russian disinformation techniques," Warner opines. And the ones to come, he assures us, will be even worse.
Here's how Warner is suggesting we deal:
Mandatory location verification. The paper suggests forcing social media platforms to authenticate and disclose the geographic origin of all user accounts or posts.
Mandatory identity verification: The paper suggests forcing social media and tech platforms to authenticate user identities and only allow "authentic" accounts ("inauthentic accounts not only pose threats to our democratic process...but undermine the integrity of digital markets"), with "failure to appropriately address inauthentic account activity" punishable as "a violation of both SEC disclosure rules and/or Section 5 of the [Federal Trade Commission] Act."
Bot labeling: Warner's paper suggests forcing companies to somehow label bots or be penalized (no word from Warner on how this is remotely feasible)
Define popular tech as "essential facilities." These would be subject to all sorts of heightened rules and controls, says the paper, offering Google Maps as an example of the kinds of apps or platforms that might count. "The law would not mandate that a dominant provider offer the serve for free," writes Warner. "Rather, it would be required to offer it on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms" provided by the government.
Other proposals include more disclosure requirements for online political speech, more spending to counter supposed cybersecurity threats, more funding for the Federal Trade Commission, a requirement that companies' algorithms can be audited by the feds (and this data shared with universities and others), and a requirement of "interoperability between dominant platforms."
Contrary to what our federal officials would have us believe, the solution to our nation's problems isn't always more federal regulation. Sometimes -- most of the time, in fact -- the best solution lies in the people, the states, and the free markets.
That's why millions of Americans have joined the Convention of States Project. They know that the feds break nearly everything they touch, and they know that true decision-making power should reside as close to home as possible.
An Article V Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that reinstate the Founders' intentions by strictly limiting federal jurisdiction. These amendments can limit federal power to only those topics specifically outlined in the Constitution. If the feds want more power, they'll have to go through the proper constitutional channels to get it.
