[StanislavPetrov]

> really effectively weaponized by malicious foreign actors

The truth is that social media has been been used by a wide variety of state and non-state actors to push their respective agendas. Its false and misleading to suggest that somehow "our" governments aren't engaged in exactly the same type of propaganda - mostly to a much greater degree.

>Is it "right" for them to impose western approaches to journalism, "truth", civic engagement, digital literacy, etc. to the rest of the world?

I'm not sure what sort of journalism you are referring too, but "western journalism" as it exists in the form of legacy or "corporate" media has absolutely nothing to do with truth, civic engagement, or corporate literacy. Its a non-stop barrage of propaganda, just like most "news" channels based in other countries are non-stop barrages of propaganda from a different perspective. Pretending that western governments, particularly the US government, haven't actively sought to spread propaganda and control the narrative for over a century is to betray a stunning ignorance of history.

I think the larger question for those in tech needs to be, to what degree will they allow various nations and states to control and influence the speech on their platforms? The free and unfettered exchange of information is going to be potentially damaging to the official propaganda narrative pushed by every government. Unfortunately tech companies have to be based somewhere, and are always going to be subject to the draconian threats from governments no matter where they are based. To pretend that this doesn't happen in "the West" is again to ignore history. Go ask former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio what he thinks.