The Internet was supposed to enable large-scale conversation, but this vision has been eroded by fragmentation and toxicity, closing down conversations and exacerbating divides. To solve the problem, we must build back trust, and understand how the nature of trust has changed. Trust in information is no longer determined solely by the authority of its source, but by its authenticity and other heuristics that help situate us relative to "truth".  We explore how the latest tech may be leveraged to establish new forms of public trust and conversation and in so doing, lay a firmer foundation for democracy aligned with the original promise of the internet.