The intentional use of misleading information to influence societies, or disinformation, presents a serious threat to the integrity of democratic systems. Authoritarian states regularly use it to exploit democracies’ open information systems, presenting a significant national security threat that demands a purposeful and concerted response. This paper is the third in a series of papers that deals with how democracies can build resilience against disinformation. The first installment, “Democratic Defense Against Disinformation”, and its follow-up, “Democratic Defense Against Disinformation 2.0”, unpacked the challenge of foreign-origin disinformation and suggested practical steps to deal with it, including actions by governments, social media companies, and civil society. The core argument was that defense against disinformation has to be rooted in democratic principles and values: transparency, accountability, and respect for freedom of expression. We must not become them to fight them.
OP-ED
Alina Polyakova, Daniel Fried: Democratic offense against disinformation
A woman holds a smart phone with the icons for the social networking apps Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others seen on the screen in Moscow on March 23, 2018.
