Whose deepfake influencers do you "trust" more? US, China, russia and a few lesser players are already working to control the information space / spread propaganda (note: not necessarily/always lies, but there is typically a focus or spin) far and wide.

We know people are highly influenced by propaganda (some more than others, but all of us are) and that quantity and repetition plays a role. Since this is now an established battlefield, I'd like our (western) defences to be strong.

It has potential for abuse, certainly. That's par for the course. There is also the potential for it to be used to debunk fake news, shock people out of false beliefs, and help reconnect people to reality. Let's see how this plays out. popcorn time

The US is, as a matter of fact, and never has been, a democracy. It has always been a representative republic. Direct democracy as your comment envisions it is very difficult to implement and results in mob rule. If this is something you strongly believe should be stopped, get in touch with your federal senator and congressional representative to make your views known. Call, email, write paper letters, and encourage others to do the same. Make it clear that they won't be reelected if they allow this to continue. We don't have lobbying money, but it's hard to keep taking bribes if they no longer have a position with which to provide a return on that investment.