Mis/Disinformation: The Skew of Information and Its Impacts on You
Introduction
The impacts of mis/disinformation extend far beyond politics. This growing cyber threat has the potential to impact us all, evading our conscious analytical thinking. No one is inherently immune from the negative effects of mis/disinformation. It has evolved into an unfortunate and pervasive reality of our hyperconnected world. Mis/disinformation can undermine trust, sever relationships, incite fear and panic, undermine security, manipulate decisions and influence people’s actions. Its consequences extend far beyond the screen—impacting individuals, communities, organizations and even national stability.
What Is Mis/Disinformation?
Mis/disinformation is more than just “fake news.” Mis- and disinformation are terms used to describe false information. Misinformation refers to incorrect information shared without malicious intent, often spread inadvertently. In contrast, disinformation is deliberately crafted and disseminated to deceive or manipulate. The critical distinction lies in the intent behind the content.
While it’s often discussed in the context of modern media, the presence of mis/disinformation didn’t originate with the emergence of social media, the internet and 24-hour news cycles. False information shaping human decision processes, belief systems and subsequent actions on a large scale goes back centuries.
Disinformation that greatly influenced American civilization was that of Benjamin Franklin during the Revolution against the British. Franklin, indirectly through an unbeknownst agent, inserted false information in the “Supplement to the Boston Independent Chronicle” that the British were committing atrocities against the Native Americans. He aimed to influence the British citizens against Britain. The language used by Franklin to describe the acts of violence against the Native Americans was intended to incite emotions of anger and disgust in a situation of which the British public was mostly unaware. Franklin took advantage of a lack of awareness by inserting false information to influence the war.
During the Cold War, the Soviet government disinformed populations, initiated by using a rogue scientist already supporting a similar narrative, to spread lies about the United States creating AIDS. This disinformation was intended to decrease public trust in the U.S. government. The narrative continued at length until the president of the USSR ordered its intelligence officers to discontinue Operation Infektion, the code name for the effort. The idea is still alive among conspiracy theory circles.
More recently, Silicon Valley Bank financially plummeted after social media influencers spread misinformation. Foreign state media from Russia and China also hijacked the narratives, leading to false information spreading in all directions. The fear-mongering led to customers withdrawing funds and canceling deposits, tarnishing the bank’s reputation and customer trust.
How Mis/Disinformatio May Impact You
The impacts of mis/disinformation have extensive consequences. Still today, medical information remains an area targeted by state actors and criminals. Medical-related misinformation can influence a cancer patient not to pursue life-saving treatment. A deep fake posing as a trusted contact can manipulate an individual into revealing financial account logins. Disinformation spread across flood-impacted Appalachia may restrict a federal agency’s ability to aid impacted residents. The corporate sector is at an alarming rate of risk. The finance industry, for example, is highly targeted with deepfakes and disinformation for the financial gain of cyber threat actors and criminals. A publicized example was of a criminal vishing a CEO’s presence in various ways to increase trust in the conduit of information, such as sending an email and following up with a phone call in which the voice is artificially created to copy that of the CEO.
This can result in reduced security and loss of money. Not only does this impact the company, but it impacts the employee, the CEO and those who ultimately pay for the rising costs of this type of loss. These types of calls, with the prediction of AI and synthetically generated content to increase, will only get worse for all of us. FinCen just warned about criminals fabricating material targeting financial institutions to steal funds.
Over the past few years, much attention has been given to how mis/disinformation impacts organizations and nations; however, there’s been less coverage of individual impacts. Even those of us who are not active on social media or do not consume much traditional news may still be affected by the broad negative implications of false and deceitful information distributed throughout our in-person social networks. Mis/disinformation is a rapidly evolving cyber threat that has real-life implications on real people in the “real” (or “physical”) world.
When we are exposed to mis/disinformation, our minds are passively and sometimes actively aware of what the information represents. We may not always think consciously about the information we’re presented. Our brain functions with system 1 (passive) and system 2 (deliberate) thinking. Our beliefs, attitudes and behaviors can be changed or confirmed by the mis/disinformation presented. Often the argument appears logical and persuasive and can conjure fear, desire or other emotions. When we allow system 1 thinking to maintain control, we are more often influenced by disinformation, resulting in bad decisions, increased stress or anxiety, loss of trust or increased isolation. Heightened emotions as we experience disinformation can increase the chances of us believing it.
What Can We Do To Protect Ourselves Against Mis/Disinformation?
While mis/disinformation is a pervasive cyber threat, we do have options for cultivating cognitive resilience to this onslaught of erroneous, manipulative and, in some cases, weaponized information. On an individual level, we can enhance our digital literacy skills, which can help us determine what information is accurate and what is false. We can also increase our awareness of both the psychological and technical mechanisms used to spread mis/disinformation and how these false narratives exploit existing biases, emotional responses and fears to influence actions and belief systems. We must calmly enable our use of system 2 thinking and should do this without allowing the information to control our emotions. As humans, we may be susceptible to mis/disinformation; however, we are not necessarily at its mercy.
To protect yourself, be critical and use various ways to authenticate the situation. If someone claims your son is in trouble and needs money, maybe a good step is to call him at work or on his phone. Take the time needed to think through the situation. If someone messages your phone saying you owe money, call the number on your bank statement to confirm. Today, texts and calls can be easily spoofed, so it’s critical to know your sources. Think before you click; do you know and trust this website? If not, look for a more trustworthy place to spend your money.
Conclusion
Mis/disinformation has flooded all industries and is a risk to our well-being. This growing cyber threat has the potential to impact us all, but there are ways to slow down and think about the information presented to us. Arm yourself with an understanding of how mis/disinformation exists today and how to react. Our hyperconnected world will only become more connected as AI and synthetic media generation replace human labor. Thinking deliberately will enable you to do your part in tackling the spread of malign information. Your thinking can positively or negatively impact individuals, communities, organizations and even national stability.
Maj. Trisha E. Wyman, USA (Ret.), is the director of business intelligence and research at Parlay Finance. She is an experienced leader in Psychological and Special Operations with a bachelor’s degree in global studies with a concentration in political science from Methodist University and a Master of Professional Studies in security and safety leadership from The George Washington University. She earned a Master of Science in information strategy and political warfare from the Naval Postgraduate School. Wyman is also a member of AFCEA International.
Hannah Becker is the vice president of Becker Digital, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business specializing in strategic consulting, training and program support for federal government agencies. She is a member of the AFCEA Cyber Committee, where she has researched the societal effects of mis/disinformation. Becker holds a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University, a graduate certificate in nonprofit leadership from American Public University, a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in information technology from Florida Institute of Technology.
