Disinformation

Disinformation is the intentional creation, manipulation, and dissemination of false or misleading information designed to deceive. It differs from misinformation, which involves sharing inaccurate information without the creator’s intent to mislead.

Actors in disinformation campaigns include state and nonstate entities, political groups, interest organizations, media actors, and individuals. Tactics range from fabricated content and altered images or videos (including deepfakes) to misleading headlines, captions, and selective editing. The use of fake accounts, automated bots, and coordinated inauthentic behavior can amplify messages, while social media algorithms and data-driven targeting help tailor and spread disinformation to specific audiences.

Disinformation has long been part of political and military strategy, but the digital age has amplified its reach through rapid sharing and platform-mediated networks. Contemporary campaigns have involved foreign influence operations, election-related deception, and health-related misinformation during public crises, demonstrating how disinformation can influence public opinion and behavior across borders.

Impacts include erosion of trust in institutions, increased polarization, and real-world harm, such as unsafe health practices or violence. Responses encompass fact-checking, media literacy education, and policies by platforms to label, demote, or remove deceptive content. Cross-sector collaboration among platforms, researchers, journalists, and public authorities is common, with emphasis on rapid, transparent corrections and explanations. Research on mitigation shows mixed results, with effectiveness increasing when debunking is timely, clear, and context-rich, and when it addresses underlying cognitive biases rather than merely presenting facts.

See also: misinformation, propaganda, media literacy, fact-checking.