Malinformation
Malinformation refers to information that, while based on truth or derived from factual content, is deliberately manipulated or presented out of context to cause division, confusion, or harm. Unlike misinformation, which lacks harmful intent, or disinformation, which is false information created with the intent to mislead, malinformation is characterized by its explicit intention to manipulate the truth. This phenomenon has emerged as a significant global concern, with both domestic and foreign actors employing malinformation as a strategy within broader information warfare efforts. The goals of those spreading malinformation can vary widely, ranging from undermining social cohesion to interfering with democratic processes.
Malinformation can manifest in various forms, such as editing video clips to remove critical context, leading to misleading impressions of events. Its prevalence has grown in the digital age, where modern communication technologies facilitate rapid dissemination, making it easier for manipulated information to circulate widely. Additionally, malinformation can occur on smaller scales, affecting individuals or specific groups, as seen in practices like doxxing or the non-consensual sharing of personal information. Understanding malinformation is essential for navigating today’s complex media landscape, where discerning the intent behind information can be crucial for informed decision-making.
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Malinformation
Closely related to misinformation and disinformation, malinformation is information that is true or derived from truth, but deliberately manipulated or presented out of context. Malinformation is used to cause division, confusion, or other negative outcomes for the people who consume or are exposed to it. According to information and disinformation warfare experts, the defining feature of malinformation is this explicit intent to manipulate the truth in a manner that causes harm.
Malinformation is a global concern. It can be perpetrated by both domestic and foreign actors, often as part of broader information warfare operations. The objectives of individuals, groups, and agencies that spread malinformation vary, ranging from a general desire to erode social cohesion or foment chaos to interfering with democratic processes and undermining elected governments. Some forms of malinformation work on smaller scales, involving smaller groups or even individual participants. In these situations, malinformation retains its core intent of causing harm.
Overview
Experts often describe malinformation by comparing it to and differentiating it from the associated concepts of misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that enters into broad public circulation without the explicit intent to cause harm. A lack of harmful intent is misinformation’s defining feature: misinformation results from incomplete or incorrect interpretations of the facts surrounding a depicted subject or idea. Disinformation is false or inaccurate information created and distributed for the specific purpose of misleading its consumers, manipulating social groups or organizations, or causing other forms of social or economic harm.
Misinformation and disinformation are linked by their shared feature of containing false or inaccurate content. Malinformation, on the other hand, is true or derived from truth, but packaged and presented in a misleading way with the deliberate intent of causing the same kinds of harms associated with disinformation. Examples include the deceptive editing of video clips to remove important interactions or contextual references, resulting in false impressions of the depicted events.
In the twenty-first century, malinformation has become a weapon in information warfare, a term used to describe geopolitical rivalries and conflicts that play out in information-based channels such as the mass media and the Internet. Information warfare has long been a feature of military conflict, but the rise and proliferation of modern digital telecommunication technologies has dramatically expanded the scope of its potential applications.
Experts further note that distinctions between malinformation and disinformation can break down when malinformation enters wide public circulation and the missing or manipulated context of malinformation materials becomes lost to those consuming it.
Some definitions of malinformation expand the concept beyond information warfare to include smaller-scale interactions. Examples include the practice of doxxing, which is the deliberate and malicious publication of an individual’s private or identifying information, as well as the uploading and distribution of pornographic material made without the knowledge or consent of one or more participating parties.
Bibliography
Carpenter, Perry. “Get the 411 on Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation.” Forbes, 13 Jan. 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/01/13/get-the-411-on-misinformation-disinformation-and-malinformation/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
“Fake News: Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation.” Pace University, 6 Jan. 2023, libguides.pace.edu/fakenews. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
“Foreign Influence Operations and Disinformation.” Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, www.cisa.gov/topics/election-security/foreign-influence-operations-and-disinformation. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
“Malinformation: Clarifying the Definitions.” Federal University of Pernambuco, 1 Mar. 2021, www.redalyc.org/journal/147/14768130011/html/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
“Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation.” Media Defence, www.mediadefence.org/ereader/publications/introductory-modules-on-digital-rights-and-freedom-of-expression-online/module-8-false-news-misinformation-and-propaganda/misinformation-disinformation-and-mal-information/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.