Regulating the Influencers
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This happened in 2025, but still I think it's worth discussing.
In late October 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) rolled out a striking new regulation: influencers on major Chinese social-media platforms who wish to comment publicly on “serious” topics — such as finance, law, education or health/medicine — will now be required to hold relevant credentials (degrees, licences or certifications) and to submit those credentials for verification by the platform.
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According to regulators, the goal is to curb the spread of misinformation, amateur “expertise”, unverified claims, and to protect audiences that may be highly vulnerable to poor advice.I haven't think through how a version of this may be made to work in the USA's tradition with its Constitution's First Amendment, but on the whole I sympathize that popular non-experts spouting misleading "advice" on social media can be a public nuisance and may be seriously deleterious to public health and public trust.
Thoughts?
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Not a bad idea. I wonder if many of the influenced would actually care.
Does a degree from Liberty count as a credential?
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I would too, although the popularity of internet celebs like Rogan makes me doubt the effectiveness of letting the people decide.
It’s the Wild West out there!
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I would too, although the popularity of internet celebs like Rogan makes me doubt the effectiveness of letting the people decide.
It’s the Wild West out there!
the popularity of internet celebs like Rogan
It’s the Wild West out there!It's getting impossible to know whom to trust.
Regarding Trump assassination attempts, specifically the WH Correspondents dinner incident. The last bit about trusting unverified information is most disturbing.
The NewsGuard survey found that 24 percent of U.S. adults believe the incident at the Washington Hilton was fake, compared with 45 percent who believed it was legitimate. An additional 32 percent said they were unsure. The survey of 1,000 American adults was conducted by YouGov from April 28 to May 4.
“It’s very striking,” said Sofia Rubinson, an editor at NewsGuard. The results underscore broader skepticism that Americans feel toward the government and the press, she said. “Increasingly, people on all sides of the political spectrum are distrustful of both this administration and also the media,” she said, but willing to trust unverified information they see online.
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Another angle: Credentials can be over rated. The list of experts who are nothing short of whacko is extensive.
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Christopher Hitchens used to say “to whom would you give the power to decide what you’re not allowed to read?”
As 89 said next door, I prefer upvote/downvote, community notes, or some way to crowd-source commentary rather than outright censorship.
Christopher Hitchens used to say “to whom would you give the power to decide what you’re not allowed to read?”
As 89 said next door, I prefer upvote/downvote, community notes, or some way to crowd-source commentary rather than outright censorship.
Intead of "censorship", call it consequences. Takes on a whole 'nuther source of responsibility...
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