Last Updated on March 29, 2022 by Carmelyne Thompson
Disinformation is a type of tactic often used by governments and political organizations to control the narrative and to influence the decisions of their citizens. Once the “information” (as a product of disinformation) has been broadly circulated in an increasingly connected society, it may be difficult to correct it. As a result, there may be confusion and disorder. It has the potential to have tragic consequences.
Governments and political groups frequently employ disinformation as a strategy to shape public opinion and sway voting decisions. This most often involves spreading fake news or false information.
Sometimes people spread fake news to get other people to do things that are not good for them. Governments can also use fake news to make citizens think they are in danger, so the government can then take action.
By controlling the narrative, governments and other organizations can influence the ideas and behaviors of their population by restricting information that doesn’t match their objective or by distributing false information about their opponents.
The dangers of disinformation are many, and they should not be taken lightly. Citizens must be able to access accurate information in order to make informed decisions.
In order to understand this article, we first need to define some terms.
Definitions: What is the difference between disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation?
Disinformation is false information that is deliberately created or disseminated with the express purpose of causing harm. Producers of disinformation typically have political, financial, psychological, or social motivations.1
Misinformation is information that is false but not intended to cause harm. For example, individuals who don’t know a piece of information is false may spread it on social media in an attempt to be helpful.2 They are therefore simply misinformed.
Malinformation is genuine information that is shared to cause harm. This includes private or revealing information that is spread to harm a person or reputation.3
In a connected society, the free flow of factual information is the cornerstone of democracy. When that flow becomes contaminated by misinformation and disinformation, it can have profound consequences for public opinion and individual freedom. This article will examine how this occurs and what steps we all need to take in order to protect ourselves from these dangers.
1. Disinformation is difficult to detect.
Disinformation can be very hard to spot, especially when it is presented as fact. It can be tempting to trust what we read, especially when it is coming from a reliable source. However, we need to be careful not to believe everything we read.
There are many sources of disinformation, and not all of them are easy to identify.
Some of the most common sources of disinformation
1.1 Political Propaganda
Political propaganda is a type of communication that is used to influence people’s opinions about a certain issue. It can be very persuasive, and it is often used to get support for a particular point of view.
Democratic governments, in spite of their best intentions and efforts, may also end up using disinformation as a tool.
People can be easily misled by propaganda if they want to be. Obviously, that’s not hard for anyone to do if the propaganda is designed well enough. For example, if a government was looking to go to war with another country, it would likely use its mass media outlets to spread stories that demonize the other country and make its citizens feel threatened.
1.2 The Media
The media can be a source of disinformation, especially when it is controlled by governments or other nefarious organizations. This can have a devastating effect on the population, which may not be able to get accurate information from other media sources.
1.3 Social Media
In an increasingly connected society, it is essential that we have access to different viewpoints. We are exposed to all kinds of viewpoints and opinions on social media, which can be a powerful tool for disseminating information, but it can also be a tool for disinformation. False information can spread quickly on social media, and it can be hard to distinguish between fact and fiction.
This can have a dangerous effect, especially when it comes to politics and current events. False information can influence people’s opinions, and it can even lead to violence.
On social media, we need to be careful about where we get our information from, and we need to be sure that we are verifying the sources before we re-share them. It’s important to share only accurate information with our friends and family. We must avoid basing our decisions on fake news or lies.
1.4 Fake News Websites
Fake news websites are another source of disinformation. These sites often publish false or misleading information in order to generate clicks and ad revenue. They can also be used to spread propaganda or influence public opinion. One of the most dangerous things about fake news websites is that many people believe them.
How to Identify Fake News Websites
There are a few ways to identify a fake news website. One of the easiest ways is to look at the URL. Fake news websites often have URLs that are very similar to legitimate news websites, but they will have a few extra letters or numbers at the end of the URL.
Another way to identify a fake news website is to look at the domain name. Fake news websites will often have domain names that are very similar to legitimate news websites.
Finally, you can also check the articles themselves for signs that they are fake. Some common indicators include poor grammar and spelling mistakes, exaggerated or sensational headlines, and false or unverifiable information.
How to Verify Fake News
If you see something that you think might be fake news, there are a few things you can do to verify it.
- Search for the story on a different website. If you can’t find it anywhere else, that’s a good indicator that it might be fake.
- Check the website’s About or Contact page to see if it lists an author or editor. If it doesn’t, that’s another sign that the website might be fake.
- Verify the information in the article with a reputable source. For example, if the article says that a certain politician said something, you can try searching for that quote on a website like a primary news website or PolitiFact. If you can’t find it, then it’s probably not true.
1.5 Government Agencies
Government agencies can be a source of disinformation, especially when they are controlled by authoritarian governments. Authoritarians and sometimes even politicians employ disinformation as an asymmetric information warfare strategy to make up for their deficiencies. Agencies can be used to spread false information or to censor information that does not fit their agenda.
1.6 Corporate Marketing
While not always deliberate, corporate marketing can also be a source of disinformation. This can happen when corporations use misleading or false information in their ads in order to sell their products.
This can be dangerous because it can lead people to make bad decisions about what products to buy. It can also be used to influence public opinion about certain products.
2. Disinformation can be used to influence public opinion.
One of the main purposes of disinformation is to influence public opinion. There are many ways to try and get people to believe something. One way is to try and persuade them that a certain belief is the only correct one. Another way is to make them fearful or make them hate others.
The distribution of misleading information to generate fear and hatred is one example of a disinformation campaign. This might be done to promote a certain agenda or to control the populace. Another example is the use of propaganda to persuade individuals to make poor choices. This might involve purchasing things they do not need or supporting a political candidate with whom they disagree.
3. Disinformation can have tragic consequences.
Disinformation can have tragic consequences. For example, in the past, it has been used to stir up violence and hatred against particular groups of people. It can also be used to influence people’s decisions about important issues, such as who to vote for. This can have a negative impact on democracy.
One example of the tragic consequences of disinformation is the Holocaust. The Nazis used disinformation to spread lies and false information about the Jews. This led to many people believing that they were a danger to society, and it resulted in the deaths of millions of people.
4. Disinformation destroys our confidence in institutions that are supposed to protect us.
One of the most concerning aspects of disinformation is that it causes individuals to lose faith in the institutions that are intended to safeguard them. This includes governments, the media, and other reliable information sources. People losing trust in these institutions may have a negative impact on our democracy and society as a whole. As a best practice, and if you believe your institutions are compromised, search for other sources of legitimate information.
Additional Sources of Reliable Information
In our search for reliable sources of information, academic journals, experts in a particular field, and citizen journalists should also be considered.
1. Academic Journals
Academic journals are a good source of information because the articles are peer-reviewed, which means that they are checked by experts in their field of study. This helps to ensure that the information is accurate.
2. Experts in a particular field
Experts in a particular field can be a good source of information because they have a lot of knowledge about a specific topic. They may also be able to provide insights that are not available elsewhere.
3. Citizen Journalist
Citizen journalists are people who are not employed by the media, but who report on events and issues that are important to them. They can be a valuable source of information, because they often have a different perspective than the traditional media.
5. We also need to find ways to fight back against disinformation and restore trust in our institutions.
We need to ensure that accurate information is widely available and that people are taught how to spot disinformation when they see it. This will require a concerted effort from all of us. The best way to deal with the dangers of disinformation is to prevent it from happening in the first place.
There are many strategies that can be used to fight disinformation.
Some of the most effective strategies to fight disinformation
5.1 Providing Accurate Information
One of the best ways to fight disinformation is to provide accurate information. This can be done by making sure that accurate information is widely available on different social media platforms, news sources, and official sources like government archives.
5.2 Exposing the Sources of Disinformation
Another effective strategy is to expose the sources of disinformation. This can be done by identifying the people or organizations that are spreading disinformation, and by highlighting their activities and motives. Tech companies have programs that expose influence operations that run disinformation campaigns on their platforms, e.g. Google’s Threat Analysis Group and Meta’s Facebook Reports regarding Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviors.
5.3 Creating a Community of Fact-Checkers
What is fact-checking?
Fact-checking is the process of making sure that official, published information, like politicians’ statements and news stories, is true and accurate.4 In the U.S., falsehoods made in political ads that were shown on TV started to be checked out by fact-checkers in the 1990s as a way to make sure they were true. Fact-checking organizations have now sprung up all over the world. There are now about 150 of them,5 and many of them now also debunk mis- and disinformation from unofficial sources circulating online.
A community of fact-checkers can help to identify and expose disinformation. Fact-checkers investigate the veracity of information, identifying erroneous information to ensure that the public is not misled.
5.4 Using Social Media to Spread Accurate Information
Social media can be a powerful tool too, for spreading accurate information. This can be done by using social media to share accurate information with friends and family, and by using social media to expose the sources of disinformation.
6. Educating people about the dangers of disinformation
Educating people about the dangers of disinformation is an important part of fighting it.
Spotting disinformation can be difficult, but it is important to remember that the best defense against it is accurate information. By teaching people how to spot disinformation and by providing them with accurate information, we can help to protect our society from the dangers of disinformation.
When it comes to spotting disinformation, there are a few key things to look out for.
Some of the most common signs of a disinformation campaign
6.1 The Use of Fake News
One of the most common ways to spread disinformation is by using fake news. This is when a news story is created with the sole purpose of spreading false information. Fake news stories are often designed to look like they come from a reputable source, in order to trick people into believing them.
6.2 The Use of Bots
Bots are social media accounts that are run by computer programs. They are programmed to post and interact with content on a specific platform. In disinformation campaigns, bots can be used to draw attention to false stories, hijack platforms’ trending lists, and the bot’s activities make it look like people are talking, so they generate support from people reading their posts.
Bots can also be used to post comments on social media or to share links to websites and articles.
6.3 The Use of Propaganda
Truthful or deceptive information can be used to influence an audience, but propaganda has a political meaning that is generally linked to government-produced material. Advertising, publicity, and propaganda sometimes blur the distinctions between these three categories. 6
6.4 The Use of False Flags
False flags are events or activities that are designed to mislead people into thinking that they are being attacked by a rival group or country. False flag operations can be used to incite fear, discredit an adversary, or even begin a war against a country.
6.5 The Use of Trolls
Trolls are people who deliberately post inflammatory and offensive comments online in order to provoke a reaction. Trolls can be used to spread disinformation and to silence dissent or opposing views.
Trolling is when someone posts something offensive or unpleasant on the internet to get a reaction from other people. This can be done on purpose to ruin a conversation or to make other people angry. Even human-controlled accounts conducting bot-like actions can be described as “bots.”
A “troll farm” refers to an organized group of individuals who work in an orchestrated manner to spread fake news or inflammatory content online.
Disinformation is like advertising. If people see it, that is all that matters. People cannot unsee something that is untrue. Most people do not have the faculties to reason through why something is untrue. Disinformation is effective because it exists!
That’s why it is critical to be aware of the dangers of disinformation since it may be quite damaging. We must take precautions to avoid its spread, be cautious with the information we absorb, and constantly challenge our own views.
With enough public outcry and a commitment to the truth, we can make sure that disinformation doesn’t have a place in our society.
Additional Recommended Reading Materials
Information Disorder: The essential glossary
by Denise-Marie Ordway
https://journalistsresource.org/politics-and-government/information-disorder-glossary-fake-news/
Lexicon of Lies: Terms for Problematic Information
by Data & Society Research Institute
https://datasociety.net/library/lexicon-of-lies/
How Do You Define a Problem Like Influence?
By Alicia Wanless & James Pamment
https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/12/30/how-do-you-define-problem-like-influence-pub-80716
1 MacAllister, J. (2017) The Doxing Dilemma: Seeking a Remedy for the Malicious Publication of Personal Information, Fordham Law Review, https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5370&context=fl
2 Wardle, C. & H. Derakshan (September 27, 2017) Information Disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making, Council of Europe, https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-toward-an-interdisciplinary-framework-for-researc/168076277c
3 Wardle, C. & H. Derakshan (September 27, 2017) Information Disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making, Council of Europe, https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-toward-an-interdisciplinary-framework-for-researc/168076277c
4 Mantzarlis, A. (2015) Will Verification Kill Fact-Checking?, The Poynter Institute, https://www.poynter.org/news/will-verification-kill-fact-checking
5 Funke, D. (2018) Report: There are 149 fact-checking projects in 53 countries. That’s a new high, The Poynter Institute, https://www.poynter.org/news/report-there-are-149-fact-checking-projects-53-countries-thats-new-high
6 Jack, C. (2017) Lexicon of Lies, Data & Society, https://datasociety.net/pubs/oh/DataAndSociety_LexiconofLies.pdf