Under the Spell of Fake News

Prospects for Action against Disinformation

Abstract

Due to hybrid activities below the thresholds of traditional conflicts, the civil sphere and the surrounding information environment has become part and, in some cases, the tool for conflicts between states or certain groups. Disinformation activities, which have been part of social deception for centuries, have become increasingly
prominent in recent years but are also gaining prominence at the political level due to globalisation and changes in technological and information consumption patterns that
have accelerated in recent times. The spread of disinformation is a serious challenge for democracies and recent lessons have shown that it poses a direct threat to human health and life. Due to the rapid development of technology and the low cost of the dissemination of disinformation, state-sponsored activities have unprecedented proportions capable of influencing democratic discourse and a state’s internal affairs, as well as escalating conflicts between states on the international level.