What Are the Dangers of Disinformation?

Apart from making the truth hard to find, disinformation, or false information spread deliberately to deceive, can also be one of the leading sources of danger to personal scrutiny, public opinion and societal trust. It has the power to manipulate elections, incite violence, and undermine civic health efforts.

Thanks to social media and the constant news cycle, this accessibility has brought a new challenge—the proliferation of disinformation, which we must learn to recognise and combat effectively.

If we are to preserve our integrity.

What is disinformation?

Generally speaking, disinformation is a false narrative that is published and promoted as if it were true. However, it is the intentional nature of that false information that makes it disinformation. That is also how disinformation differs from misinformation (which is false information spread without harmful intent) in its purpose. 

The designed nature of disinformation means it is often crafted with specific malicious targets and goals in mind, such as influencing political outcomes, obscuring the truth, or even discrediting popular figures.

Historically, disinformation was usually put out using traditional media. Nowadays, social media networks, blogs, and instant messaging apps have allowed the rampant spread of disinformation, often escaping immediate authenticity analysis.

Additionally, the anonymity provided by the internet enables malicious actors to disseminate disinformation with little to no fear of personal accountability. What is more, sometimes automated programs, often called bots, or troll factories and fake accounts can publish auto-generated disinformation, further enhancing the spread of it.

Why is disinformation spread?

The reasons why people generate and promote disinformation are as diverse as human nature itself. 

Power, for one, drives the spread; those in high places or those seeking to climb might use any means to sway minds and twist perceptions. Money, too, plays its part. In a landscape where every click and share can be monetised, sensational lies bring in the crowds, with each click translating to coin.

And then there is a more sinister desire: the urge to sow discord and confusion. State actors engage in this dangerous game, using disinformation as a weapon to weaken rivals from within.

Understanding these motives and the nature of disinformation is the first step in the process of safeguarding our collective reality from information disorder.

What makes disinformation particularly harmful today?

Velocity of the spread of disinformation

Social media is like the highway for disinformation. A single tweet can spark a wildfire of hate speech, falsehoods, engulfing millions in mere minutes. 

Algorithms designed to prioritise engagement tend to amplify sensationalist or emotionally charged content, a tactic disinformation often exploits to maximise its reach.

Filter bubbles and echo chambers

Personalised content curation, or news feeds, creates filter bubbles, where users are exposed to information that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs and values.

In fact, filter bubbles offer a kind of psychological comfort that many people find irresistible. This can lead to difficulty for people to encounter differing viewpoints, solidifying false narratives and reducing critical thinking.

Decline of traditional media

There was a time when the evening news was a trusted cornerstone of daily life. Families would gather around their TVs to watch trusted anchors deliver the day’s events, believing that what they were hearing was a factual and balanced account.

Walter Cronkite, often referred to as “the most trusted man in America,” epitomised this era of journalistic integrity.

That trust has significantly eroded today, however.

According to a 2021 Gallup poll, only 36% of Americans reported having a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly.

The erosion of trust in traditional media sources, fuelled partly by disinformation, leads people to seek information from less reliable sources.

Lack of accountability

The anonymity of the internet allows individuals to act without facing the usual repercussions of their actions. The digital veil of anonymity lets bad actors post, comment, and share information without revealing who they really are.

Fake accounts and bots can further magnify disinformation campaigns, making them appear ever more credible and widespread than they are.

As the joke says,

What are the dangers of disinformation?

While some examples of disinformation appear harmless, much of it can be destructive and even dangerous. The sheer volume of content online also makes it challenging for individuals to discern credible information from falsehoods, exacerbating the issue.

Altogether, sophisticated disinformation campaigns pose threats across three main societal aspects:

1. Psychological and social impact;
2. Physical and personal security risks; and
3. Cybersecurity threats.

Let’s break each one of these further down.

Psychological and social impact

Influenced aspect	How does it impact?	Example
⚠️ Influence on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours
Beliefs	Fake news can change what people believe by presenting lies as truth, leading them to support harmful ideas or policies.	False claims about election fraud leading people to question the legitimacy of election results.
Attitudes	Repeated exposure to fake news can make people more prejudiced or intolerant towards certain issues or groups.	Disinformation about immigrants causing an increase in xenophobic sentiments and actions.
Behaviours	Believing fake news can lead to harmful actions, like avoiding necessary medical care due to false health information.	Anti-vaccine disinformation leading to a decline in vaccination rates and subsequent outbreaks of preventable diseases.
⚠️ Contribution to societal polarisation and conflict
Polarisation	Fake news can make societal divisions worse by reinforcing extreme views and discrediting moderate opinions.	Disinformation campaigns during elections amplifying extreme political views and deepening partisan divides.
Conflict	Disinformation can cause real-world violence and conflict by spreading false rumors.	The Pizzagate conspiracy theory leading an armed individual to attack a pizzeria, believing false claims of a child trafficking ring.

Physical and personal security risks

Influenced aspect	How does it impact?	Example
⚠️ Real-world harm
Health risks	False information about medical treatments or diseases can cause public health crises.	Disinformation about vaccines leading to vaccine hesitancy, causing preventable deaths and prolonging the pandemic.
Mass violence	Disinformation can lead to violence against individuals or groups.	The Pizzagate conspiracy theory is an appropriate example again.
⚠️ Personal data exposure and physical threats
Data exposure	False information can result in personal information being exposed, risking identity theft, harassment, or physical harm.	Doxxing, where someone’s private information is made public, putting them at risk.
Physical threats	Disinformation can cause threats and violence against both public figures and private individuals.	False accusations on social media leading to targeted harassment or physical assaults.

Cybersecurity threats

Influenced aspect	How does it impact?	Example
⚠️ Facilitation of cyberattacks
Phishing	Disinformation can trick people into giving away sensitive information or downloading malware through fake news about urgent updates or security breaches.	Fake news about urgent updates or security breaches tricking users into clicking malicious links.
Social engineering	Cyber attackers use fake news to manipulate people into revealing confidential information or compromising security systems.	Disinformation making social engineering attacks more convincing and effective.

How to recognise false information?

Disinformation surrounds us every day. Despite the common misconception that false information is everywhere, there are certain basic steps to help ensure you vet the information that you choose to perceive.

How to combat disinformation?

Through collaboration with technology

Probably, the most dynamic and innovative approach an organisation or an individual can take to combat disinformation is partnering with tech companies. These companies can provide businesses with access to the latest disinformation detection tools and insights, enhancing their ability to fight information disorder effectively.

Through fact-checking mechanisms

You can support the building and use of strong fact-checking websites in your business or local community. The benefit of that would be the ability to provide relatively quick corrections to false claims, helping to limit the spread and impact of disinformation.

However, a major downside is that fact-checking often cannot keep pace with the rapid dissemination of false information on its own, meaning that by the time corrections are made, damage may have already been caused.

Through regulation and policy changes

Although not directly feasible for most businesses, supporting and advocating for effective regulations and policies can create a broader impact.

• You can encourage governments to create laws that hold social media platforms responsible for the spread of false information, for example.
• You can also collaborate with policymakers to adopt best practices and limit the spread of disinformation.

Through media literacy education

• You can create educational programs for your colleagues or local communities around you to help people learn how to critically assess information. These programs should teach how to identify reliable sources, spot biases, and understand the tactics used in spreading false information.
• You can also run and participate in public awareness campaigns to emphasise the importance of checking where information comes from and why it was created. These campaigns can help people see why disinformation is spread and how to recognise it.

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What to do when you encounter disinformation?

The most frustrating part about disinformation is that by the time you notice it, it has done its damage. The best you can do is be proactive about the challenge.

Identrics offers AI-based solutions designed to help fight disinformation. By leveraging advanced technologies, we can provide tools that support your efforts to maintain the integrity of public discourse.