Disinformation

Disinformation is much more than “fake news.” It's a global, complex phenomenon that cuts across society and, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2025, ranks among the top threats alongside climate change and armed conflict. Its ability to distort the truth erodes trust, fuels polarization and creates uncertainty in decision-making, both individual and collective.

It's not a new problem, history is full of examples of propaganda, rumors and information manipulation in wars and social crises. What makes it worse today is the scale and speed of spread that digital platforms enable, combined with the use of generative artificial intelligence to create hyperrealistic content (deepfake images, videos or voices). A manipulated news story can reach millions in seconds, making it hard to detect and control.

Unlike other global risks like a pandemic or climate change, disinformation doesn't affect a single area: it impacts health, politics, the economy and social relationships all at once. It can trigger vaccine hesitancy, disrupt electoral processes, destabilize financial markets or sow distrust in institutions. Its root cause is that it degrades our ability to make informed decisions, worsening any other crisis.

While a pandemic is fought with vaccines and protocols, disinformation demands a combination of education, regulation, technology and, above all, collective awareness. Only a critical citizenry, backed by clear regulatory frameworks and technological verification tools, can limit its spread.

How to Confront Disinformation

Although the problem requires collective solutions, individual actions and ongoing education play a decisive role. Some key practices include:

  • Verify sources: confirm where information comes from through recognized media and verifiable data. Don't share without corroborating.
  • Compare perspectives: read several different sources and viewpoints to detect bias or manipulation.
  • Question sensationalist headlines: identify clickbait, headlines designed as emotional bait to get clicks.
  • Promote critical thinking: analyze authorship, date, context and evidence before giving credibility to content.
  • Review algorithms: be aware of how platforms prioritize certain narratives. Adjust settings and look for alternative sources.
  • Break out of the filter bubble: step outside the filter bubble by consuming media that challenges our beliefs, to avoid confirmation bias.
  • Contextualize data: check whether figures and charts are presented completely or in a manipulated way (truncated scales, distorted axes, biased statistics).
  • Detect AI-generated content: critically evaluate suspicious images, audio or video using deepfake detection tools.
  • Question search results: be aware of techniques like black hat SEO, which push false information to the top results.
  • Identify cyber-propaganda: watch for patterns on social media (repeated messages, suspicious accounts, bots). Report and flag them.
  • Strengthen cybersecurity: apply good digital security practices and be skeptical of rumors about attacks without solid evidence.
  • Support rigorous media: share quality content that prioritizes accuracy over immediacy.
  • Educate those around you: explain to family and friends how disinformation works and give concrete examples of manipulation.