Disinformation is a major concern for democratic countries. Disinformation campaigns have a clear impact on foreign policy and should be distinguished from other factors such as fake news and misinformation. Indeed, disinformation campaigns do not necessarily contain fake news, but aim to distort reality through manipulated content and erode the stability of states and their institutions.
Disinformation/FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference)
In recent years, the increased flow of information resulting from the advent of new technologies, social media and artificial intelligence has triggered the phenomenon of disinformation, especially that generated by foreign actors. The call FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation & Interference is a major concern for democratic countries, as it is a direct threat to the rule of law and the defence of the country's interests beyond its borders.
Disinformation campaigns understood as patterns of behaviour developed in the information domain, carried out in a coordinated and intentional manner to manipulate the information reality, whose implementation and dissemination pose a threat to the interests of the country, constitutional values, democratic processes, democratically constituted institutions and, therefore, national security.
- Harmful: seeks to undermine a country's national interests, its capacity for influence or its institutions.
- Manipulative: mixes truth and fiction to create a discourse that manipulates emotions and creates confusion.
- Coordinated: involves a variety of state and non-state actors coordinating and amplifying their actions.
- Intentional: is strategic. It responds to the specific interests of the promoting country or actors.
How can we defend ourselves?
Knowledge is needed to detect and respond to disinformation campaigns:
- Know: starting from the common framework of analysis DISARM and the common ABCDE method we can prepare protocols and algorithms that allow a rapid response.
- Detect: Spain participates in the RAS (Rapid Alert System) and also coordinates internally to detect and react to this phenomenon. This system ensures the necessary coordination between European partners
- Respond and prevent: strategically planned communication activities to explain your organisation's policies and proactive communication issues help to build a solid reputation in the face of disinformation campaigns, as there is no single response to disinformation campaigns and the decision on how to respond is always difficult.
The Spanish system
In addition to the measures promoted in coordination with the European Union, Spain is carrying out multiple actions in the fight against disinformation:
- Institutional level: permanent coordination mechanisms established between the different bodies of the Administration, including the Permanent Commission to Combat Disinformation, which was established in March 2019.
- Regulatory environment: Order PCM/1030/2020 of 30 October, implemented, publishing the procedure for action against disinformation approved by the National Security Council. It establishes four levels with their consequent responses.
- Strategic area: Cabinet agreement for the drafting of the National Strategy which is now starting with the participation of all ministries.
NATO's fight against disinformation
NATO has been working against disinformation almost since its creation in 1949 and recognises disinformation as a security threat and, as part of its strategy, countering disinformation in the context of new hybrid threats is a crucial element.
NATO's responses to information threats include short-, medium- and long-term options, including proactive measures. The answers are based on four key functions:
- Understand the information environment.
- Prevent the effectiveness of information threats.
- Contain and mitigate specific information incidents.
- Recover more robustly by learning lessons from information threats.