The drumbeat for government oversight of what Americans see and hear is getting louder. Earlier this month, former President Barack Obama lent his support. In speeches at the University of Chicago and Stanford University, Obama argued that “the growth of social media and technology whose product design monetizes anger and resentment . . . undermines our democracy” and that “regulation has to be part of the answer.” Another speaker at the Stanford event said that the regulation “should be at the algorithmic level” and should cover data gathering.

According to reports on the events, neither Obama nor the other speaker I just cited — Maria Ressa, a journalist from the Philippines — called for governments to outlaw certain speech or compel any speech. Instead, what Obama and Ressa want is softer censorship — that is, governments making it harder for people to find or promote online content that the authorities deem problematic. However, the regulations Obama and Ressa endorse present a greater threat to democracy than does the disinformation they say motivates them.