Home » Security Issues » Cyber Security » Various Cyber Threats » Disinformation
- Disinformation is an attack and compromise of our cognitive being. Here the information ecosystem is manipulated to create social discord, increase polarisation, and in some cases, influence the outcome of an election.
- Disinformation attacks use manipulated, miscontextualised, misappropriated information.
- Historically, the industry has treated these attacks independently, deployed different countermeasures, and even have separate teams working in silos to protect and defend against these attacks.
- For example, QAnon spread false information claiming that the U.S. 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, and conspiracy theorists burned down 5G towers because they believed it caused the novel coronavirus pandemic.
- COVID-19 disinformation campaigns had prevented people from wearing masks, using potentially dangerous alternative cures, and not getting vaccinated.
- Balancing the rights of speech with the dangers of disinformation is a challenge for policymakers and regulators.
