The invisible war of disinformation is being waged in today’s society with the sinister goal of controlling public opinion while weakening and undermining the foundations of democratic institutions. It encompasses a set of strategies that impact global politics and electoral processes through the manipulation of truth and reality in media and social networks.
Disinformation is a powerful tool used to change narratives, influence decisions, and shape reality according to the interests of the powerful. In this digital age, false news spreads rapidly, affecting perceptions on crucial issues.
Rocío Cruz, a journalist and director of communications for the Latin American Network of Experts and Analysts (REAL), addresses the use of disinformation—whether intentional or not—as a weapon in current conflicts.
From media outlets, social networks, and various institutions—including universities—narratives are manipulated, turning disinformation into a fundamental geopolitical tool aimed at distorting reality for the benefit of those in power.
Fundamental Concepts
First and foremost, Rocío Cruz refers to concepts that are essential for understanding this problematic issue. She emphasizes the importance of differentiating between:
Disinformation:
This is defined as the deliberate dissemination of false or misleading information with the intention of manipulating, confusing, or influencing public perceptions and decisions. It is consciously created and shared to cause harm or to gain economic, political, or ideological benefits.
Misinformation:
In English, this is referred to as “misinformation.” Unlike disinformation, it pertains to the sharing of incorrect or misleading information communicated without malicious intent. Individuals share it believing it to be true. The key lies in the intent.
Information Warfare:
This refers to the management of information and technology to gain a competitive advantage over an adversary in any confrontation—be it military, commercial, economic, or otherwise. It includes the dissemination of propaganda, demoralization, and data manipulation to weaken opponents.
Disinformation is Historic
Rocío Cruz warns that disinformation is not a new phenomenon; rather, it has been present throughout human history.
She refers to the first documented case of disinformation in ancient Egypt involving Pharaoh Ramses II, who ordered inscriptions that exaggerated his military victories after the Battle of Kadesh.
Additionally, she recalls how in ancient Rome, “damnatio memoriae” was a punishment that involved erasing a person from history, including removing their likeness from coins and records.
At each stage of history, the truth depends on who tells it.
Disinformation as a Geopolitical and Social Control Tool
From media outlets, social networks, and various institutions, narratives are manipulated.
Disinformation is a practice that is currently altering global geopolitics. Rocío Cruz warns that we are all actively participating in it, often unknowingly, and by replicating this disinformation, society unwittingly aids those who spread and impose it.
The goal of disinformation is to severely impact democratic institutions in order to delegitimize them. This is the responsibility of enemies of free societies, who seek to weaken and erode the concept of truth.
Moreover, she establishes that social networks are key platforms for disseminating these strategies, along with media, influencers, and universities. The underlying purpose is to implant an official narrative, regardless of whether that narrative is real or aligns with the facts that people are experiencing.
Technological evolution has sped up the dissemination, with false news taking only 4 hours to go around the world, while true news takes 12 hours. This turns users, often without malicious intent, into digital soldiers propogating disinformation.
Disinformation Actors
Rocío Cruz explains that disinformation is generated by various actors who use sophisticated strategies to achieve their goals:
In this context, we have:
States:
Russia is identified as one of the nations with one of the most powerful disinformation and propaganda apparatuses in the world, boasting a vast legacy inherited from the Soviet era.
Institutions such as the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Academy (SVR), the General Staff Academy of the Armed Forces, Moscow State University (Faculty of Journalism), the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISI), and the Moscow Institute of International Relations are mentioned as key centers for training in cognitive warfare and public opinion manipulation.
Governments and Regimes:
The appropriation of media by governments—like Telesur in Venezuela—is a common practice for creating echo chambers to amplify their own narratives.
Influencers and Digital Media:
Influencers and YouTube channels that gather audiences of 2 to 3 million followers without any information about who they are, become instruments for spreading information through robotics and narrative management.
Political Parties:
They use disinformation to boost elections and candidates.
Disinformation Strategies
Meanwhile, disinformation strategies include:
Creation of False Narratives in Labs:
Information is designed and produced in controlled environments.
Use of Algorithms:
Social media algorithms reinforce preconceived ideas, creating a thought structure that is hard to escape from.
Repetition of Lies:
Following Goebbels’ premise, they repeat a lie many times until it becomes truth.
Manipulation of Videos and Content (Deepfake):
This AI technique creates digitally manipulated videos or images that appear very real, where one person is replaced by another in an existing image or video.
Psychological Operations:
These are used to influence the mood and decisions of the population.
Consequences of Disinformation
Erosion of the truth: unfortunately, the truth becomes distorted in seconds.
Democratic deterioration: disinformation heavily strikes at democratic institutions.
Vulnerability of the citizen: individuals can be used as digital soldiers and repeaters of laboratory-created information.
Difficulties in rectifying: Although “fact-check” mechanisms exist, the damage caused by disinformation is often monumental and challenging to reverse once the information first enters the mind.
Cognitive impact: the potential to modify the brain and shape people’s ideas is a growing concern.
Legal implications: questions arise regarding whether propagandists are combatants and legitimate legal targets. An example of this is the case of French brothers who died in Syria while propagandizing for ISIS.
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