Disinformation Is The Real Threat To Democracy And Public Health

Disinformation Is the Real Threat to Democracy and Public Health Disinformation abounds, and it can kill. Fortunately, it can often be unambiguously identified By Stephan Lewandowsky, Sander van der Linden & Andy Norman House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) speaks to reporters before heading into a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on September 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Disinformation is the coin of the modern realm. Vaccine denial, climate denial, election denial and war-crime denial have joined the grotesque denial of the Holocaust in the ranks of dishonesties now regularly foisted on the public. We can, however, do something about this crisis of the information age. Ullrich Ecker is a professor at the School of Psychological Science and a fellow at the Public Policy Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. Jon Roozenbeek is assistant professor in psychology and security at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, UK. Sander van der Linden is a professor of social psychology in society at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Li Qian Tay is a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Medicine and Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. John Cook is a senior research fellow at the Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Corresponding author. Institute for Physical Acivity and Nutrition, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, 75 Pigdons Road, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia. E-mail: e.denniss@deakin.edu.au This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Misinformation has been identified as a major threat to society and public health. Social media significantly contributes to the spread of misinformation and has a global reach. Health misinformation has a range of adverse outcomes, including influencing individuals’ decisions (e.g. choosing not to vaccinate), and the erosion of trust in authoritative institutions. There are many interrelated causes of the misinformation problem, including the ability of non-experts to rapidly post information, the influence of bots and social media algorithms. Equally, the global nature of social media, limited commitment for action from social media giants, and rapid technological advancements hamper progress for improving information quality and accuracy in this setting.

In short, it is a problem that requires a constellation of synergistic actions aimed at social media users, content creators, companies, and governments. A public health approach to social media-based misinformation that includes tertiary, secondary, and primary prevention may help address immediate impacts, long-term consequences, and root causes of misinformation. Tertiary prevention to ‘treat’ this problem involves increased monitoring, misinformation debunking, and warning labels on social media posts that are at a high risk of containing misinformation. Secondary prevention strategies include nudging interventions (e.g. prompts about preventing misinformation that appear when sharing content) and education to build media and information literacy. Finally, there is an urgent need for primary prevention, including systems-level changes to address key mechanisms of misinformation and international law to regulate the social media industry.

Anything less means misinformation—and its societal consequences—will continue to spread. Keywords: misinformation, social media, disinformation, health information, digital policy Social media-based misinformation threatens public health through the provision of misleading information and undermines trust in credible experts and organizations. Misinformation is the spread of false information without the intent to mislead. Those who share the misinformation may believe it is true, useful or interesting, and have no malicious intent towards the recipients they are sharing it with. Disinformation is designed or spread with full knowledge of it being false (information has been manipulated), as part of an intention to deceive and cause harm.

The motivations can be economic gain, ideological, religious, political or in support of a social agenda among others. Both misinformation and disinformation may cause harm, which comprises threats to decision-making processes as well as health, environment or security. Disinformation in public health is a distinct type of information risk which, unlike misinformation, is created with malicious intent to sow discord, disharmony and mistrust in targets such as government agencies, scientific experts, public... The potential impacts of disinformation can be understood through examples during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic had two key elements that created the perfect storm for disinformation to proliferate and spread. First, it swiftly caused global fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Second, it occurred at a point in history where we can easily access, create and share information (as well as misinformation and disinformation) widely over the internet, mobile telecommunications, media and social media platforms. As the pandemic took hold, many posts appeared on social media and spread through instant messaging communications, stoking uncertainty about the treatment, the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, the usefulness of social distancing, and... This caused social protest, turmoil, delayed vaccine uptake and led to higher death rates in some instances. The creation and spread of disinformation during public health crises is a not a new phenomenon and has existed in different forms for centuries. Disinformation has been noted in association with events such as the bubonic plague in as far back as the 14th century, cholera outbreaks in the 19th century and the influenza pandemics including the devastating... Modern day disinformation campaigns have been associated with the emergence of the HIV in the 1980s and more recently the spread of Ebola, COVID-19 and mpox.

Public Education Forum a NAFO Initiative We live in an era where information is abundant, but truth is increasingly scarce. Disinformation—the deliberate spread of false information with the intent to deceive—has become one of the most insidious threats to democracy, public trust, and social stability. Unlike misinformation, which is false information shared unknowingly, disinformation is crafted with intent, making it a powerful weapon against civil society. The consequences of this assault on truth are dire. In an increasingly interconnected world, the spread of disinformation and misinformation poses a growing threat to the very foundations of democracy.

On September 23, 2024, the Center for Human Rights hosted a crucial discussion on this critical issue, marking the launch of the book "Disinformation, Misinformation & Democracy." The event, titled "The Challenges of Disinformation... The panel featured Professor Bertoni, the Center’s Director and a contributor to the book, alongside Ronald Krotoszynski from the University of Alabama School of Law, Bernát Török from the Institute of the Information Society... The panelists began by outlining the insidious ways in which disinformation and misinformation erode democratic processes. They highlighted the corrosive effect of false narratives on public trust, emphasizing how easily manipulated information can skew public perception and undermine faith in institutions. This erosion of trust, they argued, creates fertile ground for political polarization and social division, making it increasingly difficult to engage in constructive dialogue and reach consensus on critical issues. The discussion also emphasized the particular vulnerability of elections and policy-making to disinformation campaigns, noting how bad actors can exploit the information ecosystem to manipulate public opinion and influence electoral outcomes.

Examples were provided of recent elections globally where disinformation played a significant role in shaping public discourse and potentially swaying results. Beyond the immediate impact on elections, the panelists explored the long-term consequences of disinformation for democratic self-governance. They argued that the constant barrage of false and misleading information can lead to a state of "information overload," where citizens become overwhelmed and disengaged, making it difficult to discern truth from falsehood. This, in turn, can lead to apathy and cynicism, undermining civic participation and weakening the foundations of democratic societies. The panelists underscored the need for robust civic education programs that equip citizens with critical thinking skills to navigate the complex information landscape and identify manipulative tactics. They emphasized the importance of empowering individuals to become informed consumers of information, capable of evaluating the credibility of sources and distinguishing fact from fiction.

The conversation then shifted to exploring actionable strategies for mitigating the threat of disinformation while simultaneously upholding fundamental rights, particularly freedom of expression. The panelists recognized the inherent tension between combating disinformation and protecting free speech, acknowledging that any solution must strike a delicate balance. They discussed a range of potential approaches, from regulatory frameworks that address the spread of disinformation online to public awareness campaigns that promote media literacy and critical thinking. The discussion explored the potential role of social media platforms in combating disinformation and the need for greater transparency and accountability from these powerful actors. The panelists also touched upon the potential of using fact-checking organizations and other independent bodies to verify information and debunk false narratives. The event fostered a dynamic exchange of ideas among the panelists and the audience, highlighting the complexities involved in addressing this pressing challenge.

Participants engaged in lively discussions about the ethical considerations surrounding content moderation, the role of government in regulating online platforms, and the importance of international cooperation in combating disinformation campaigns that transcend national borders. The panelists stressed the urgency of this issue, emphasizing that effective solutions require a multi-pronged approach involving governments, technology companies, civil society organizations, and individuals. They called for greater collaboration and information sharing between these stakeholders to develop comprehensive strategies that can effectively counter the spread of disinformation and safeguard democratic values.

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