<![CDATA[Regulating the Influencers]]>https://www.ssbm.ch/when-expertise-becomes-a-requirement-lessons-from-chinas-new-influencer-regulation/

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.
...
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?

]]>https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/topic/39608/regulating-the-influencersRSS for NodeTue, 12 May 2026 22:35:50 GMTMon, 11 May 2026 11:42:31 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Regulating the Influencers on Mon, 11 May 2026 16:51:14 GMT]]>I read your quote with a British accent in mind

]]>https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/362454https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/362454Mon, 11 May 2026 16:51:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Regulating the Influencers on Mon, 11 May 2026 12:50:44 GMT]]>Totally agree with 89. As Christopher Hitchens used to say, ‘to whom would you give the power to decide what you’re not allowed to read?’

]]>https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/362446https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/362446Mon, 11 May 2026 12:50:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Regulating the Influencers on Mon, 11 May 2026 12:44:46 GMT]]>It seems the "community notes" or other auto/up-vote summaries is the best way to keep free speech while letting the public correct misinformation. It's not perfect, but for example if you put out a lie on wikipedia, it usually is corrected, or if you add an incorrect fact to a reddit thread, it gets downvoted. So like, 90% of the time the truth bubbles to the top if there are enough people involved.

]]>https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/362445https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/362445Mon, 11 May 2026 12:44:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Regulating the Influencers on Mon, 11 May 2026 11:55:28 GMT]]>Yeah, there is something attractive to the idea. But then there would be no TNCR. Perhaps it can be applied to platforms with x number of subscribers.

]]>https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/362443https://nodebb.the-new-coffee-room.club/post/362443Mon, 11 May 2026 11:55:28 GMT