“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still lacing up its boots.”
Mark Twain never actually uttered this famed witticism often attributed to him—which makes it in and of itself a form of misinformation. However, the concept could not be more apt to the current state of affairs when it comes to the lightning-fast spread of misleading content online.
In the last year alone, we have seen how disinformation—the deliberate use of untruths or half-truths to confuse, incite, or inflame —can travel under the radar and lead to economic harm, physical damage, and even loss of life as it undermines election integrity, as well as public health and safety.
It isn’t just governments that have to worry about the rapid spread of false narratives; businesses are also starting to feel its effects.
Disinformation poses multifaceted threats to business
Disinformation—from purposefully misleading rumors and coordinated campaigns targeting individual companies or industries, to foreign interference in domestic markets—can threaten a company’s reputation and profitability, and even influence financial markets.
Consider the large-scale misinformation campaigns surrounding COVID-19 vaccines that pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna have been facing, or the telecoms companies that have seen attacks on cell phone towers and a slowdown of digital infrastructure rollout because of 5G conspiracy theories.
Disinformation can even have a direct impact on a company’s share price or bottom line: In 2019 the targeting of a U.K. financial institution, Metro Bank, by false social media activity prompted public concern about its financial health and caused long lines of customers intent on pulling money from savings accounts.
