What prevents a foreignor from just overstaying a visa and speaking in person? What prevents a foreignor from investing in a media company? What prevents a foreignor from writing a book, a song, or a movie? Censorship seems very wrong and I’m not sure why there is support for that. Plus are we really going to be able to put a communication dome over the US to prevent all foreign commentary on US elections? It’s preposterous to think that there is a cut off the supply solution. Can’t even enforce borders versus people or drugs. Now we are going to try to stop speech and ideas?
I feel like some of my countrymen would sometimes like to see us be more like North Korea or Zimbabwe, which is sad.
It’s my understanding that political advertising laws were written before social media had the reach it does now. One relatively easy fix would be to amend existing law to bring online media into alignment. I’m trying to do some digging to find out what else is covered currently in political advertising on tv, but one example I have heard mentioned is disclosing the sources of the ad. Following that example out a bit further, I don’t think that the First Amendment should be broken to stop the Russians, or the North Koreans, or the Chinese, or whomever comes next. I do think that we should know the sources of that speech. I actually feel like that’s a grey area too, but if it’s coming from a foreign, possibly hostile government, then, yes, I think we should know it. Let them say it, but it should be disclosed.
Seems fair.
[ + a personal wish: all advertised goods should show the parent company — if you have a choice between 10 different branded ovens it would be nice to see that 6 of them are owned by the same corporation. ]
However the Russians faced this same problem during the 20th century, obviously all foreign interference was illegal; but for radio, the internet of it’s times, Radio Jamming was one of the greatest Soviet Achievements, and they were unsurpassed in that time in protecting their peoples from bad foreigners.
Similarly the nazis banned Radio Moscow and had penalties for being influenced by it ( and later the BBC ); they also tried radio jamming, although not to the same success. They probably didn’t devote the same resources to combatting fake foreign news.
More recently, Ukraine has outlawed nazi and soviet symbols and actions ( like singing songs ) with from 5 to 10 years in jail. [ They also made it criminal to call the actions of some gallant insurgent Ukrainian forces in the late unpleasantness into question. ]
Without trolling aimed at your stupider fellow citizens, how else would you get the government you deserve?