The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
Senate Social Media Bills Aim to Protect Kids But Attack Free Speech
English Summary
The Senate's proposed social media bills (SCREEN Act and KOSA) aim to protect minors but are argued to represent a dangerous assault on online free speech and privacy. Key mechanisms include mandating mass age verification across all platforms, which increases the risk of massive data breaches, and imposing a 'duty of care,' forcing companies to mitigate 'foreseeable' harms. This regulatory framework compels platforms to censor vast amounts of content—including protected political or sensitive speech—to avoid legal liability. The resulting over-moderation will significantly chill free expression for all users, while the complex requirements also threaten online privacy tools like VPNs.
中文摘要
參議院提出的社交媒體法案（如SCREEN Act和KOSA）旨在保護未成年人，但批評者認為這些法案實質上是對網路言論自由和隱私的嚴重侵犯。其核心機制包括要求所有平台進行大規模年齡驗證，這增加了發生大量數據洩露的風險；以及強制執行「注意義務」（duty of care），迫使企業必須減輕「可預見」的危害。這種監管框架強迫各大平台審查和刪除大量的內容——包括受保護的政治或敏感言論——以避免法律責任。由此產生的過度審查（over-moderation）將會顯著抑制所有用戶的表達自由，同時這些複雜的要求也威脅到VPN等線上隱私工具。
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