I think the more interesting point here is how easily people are manipulated by coordinated marketing/information campaigns. And I think this may be not be a fl

I think the more interesting point here is how easily people are manipulated by coordinated marketing/information campaigns. And I think this may be not be a flaw of facebook but rather its ultimate business value. At the end of the day facebook is an advertising platform - isn't influencing people the ultimate goal of advertisement/marketing? At what point do we call marketing manipulative vs. effective? Obviously you shouldn't allow foreign countries to engage in these markets for elections but those same strategies can be carried out within a nation by competing forces and they come with similar consequences. I think this is a fundamental problem worth addressing because representative democracies rely on well-informed, independent electorates for good outcomes. Marketing on the other hand aims to influence individuals in a coordinated manner towards a given outcome. How do democracies ensure electorates continue to make independent decisions in a world where marketing and advertising tools are increasingly powerful? I think this is a bridge we have to cross - these tools to influence are here to stay and democracies and electorates will need to adapt accordingly in ways outside of just regulation.