Disinformation is not new — it has simply adapted to meet today’s technical and political realities. Since the Cold War, propaganda has evolved in a direction opposite to that of most other weapons of war.
Seventy countries used online platforms to spread disinformation in 2019 — an increase of 150% from 2017. Most of the efforts focused domestically on suppressing dissenting opinions and disparaging competing political parties. China, Venezuela, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia attempted to influence the citizens of foreign countries. One new technology hampering efforts to combat disinformation is WhatsApp.
The increase of countries involved in spreading disinformation and of domestically created content coincides with a deluge of false information online. Most Americans believe that fake news causes confusion about the basic facts of the Covid-19 outbreak. The World Health Organization has spoken about how crucial access to correct information is.
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https://www.cbinsights.com/research/future-of-information-warfare/