Sorry, National Security as an excuse is still utterly broken from its abuse in the early 2000s. We aren't buying this "bomb the village in order to save it" bullshit doublethink.
It's not an excuse. It would be ignorant to not acknowledge the existence of information warfare, and its very real effects. The irony is that the tools the US built and gave away for the world to use are being used against it, and will likely cause its downfall. Do you think the current sociopolitical climate is unrelated? The Cambridge Analytica leak confirmed that small independent agencies can effectively disrupt democratic processes and topple governments. What do you think state actors can do?
FWIW, I don't have a dog in this fight, and I'm speaking as a neutral observer. I don't like the idea of giving more control to governments either. But it's clear that something has to be done to defend countries from this type of attack. Traditional military might can't defend you from an invisible enemy.
