The battle against misinformation and disinformation campaigns: Is your agency prepared?

In today’s digital age, misinformation and disinformation on social media have become critical challenges, especially for law enforcement. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and platforms like ChatGPT, Co-Pilot and Gemini, it has become even easier for malicious users to craft and spread false narratives, create deepfakes and produce misleading content on social media. Misinformation can fuel public hostility toward the police, heighten risks to officer safety and disrupt overall police operations. Such distortions of fact can also lead to unjust and disparate outcomes in policing and undermine public trust in law enforcement.

To address these risks, forward-thinking police leaders must adopt proactive strategies. A key consideration would be to establish a Misinformation/Disinformation Unit within their organizations. This unit would be charged with identifying false information, fact-checking claims, and creating counter-narratives to restore trust between police and the community. Of equal importance, these units would be responsible for educating officers on the impacts of misinformation and disinformation on their ability to maintain impartial decision-making in the field.

The challenges of modern policing require leaders to proactively address these types of threats both within the department and externally to ensure communities receive fair and just policing in a society that is increasingly shaped by social media and digital communication.

Misinformation, disinformation and the current social media landscape

It is important to distinguish between misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation refers to the unintentional spread of false information, while disinformation involves the deliberate dissemination of false or biased information to deceive or manipulate public opinion. AI-enhanced narratives, deepfakes and manipulated voiceovers have caused both forms of false information to proliferate across social media.

State-sponsored actors such as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea continue to weaponize disinformation to sow political discord in the West. For example, during the conflict between Hamas and Israel in 2023, fake videos purportedly showing Israeli airstrikes on civilians in Gaza were widely circulated. This misinformation triggered protests across the U.S., even though fact-checkers confirmed the footage was from a different conflict. [1] This example illustrates how easily social media can misrepresent events, polarizing public opinion and causing unrest, which often requires a police response to manage the unrest and restore social order. [2]

The disruptive impact on policing operations

The spread of AI-driven misinformation and disinformation can significantly disrupt policing. When police officers, just like any other community members, are exposed to false information, and when they unknowingly share it, they contribute to spreading the mistrust. This in turn could undermine the officers’ ability to make impartial decisions, particularly in politically charged situations.

For example, the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was fueled by widespread disinformation and misinformation about election fraud, leading to unprecedented violence and overwhelming police operations at the Capitol. [3] Some officers were even perceived as sympathetic to the rioters, further eroding public confidence in law enforcement’s impartiality. [4]

The incident not only highlighted how misinformation and disinformation can lead to large-scale violence, but how it can lead to the underestimation of the threat, thus complicating the appropriate planning and allocation of police resources. To prevent similar occurrences, police leaders must establish systems that counter disinformation and ensure officers remain both neutral and effective.

Erosion of public trust

Public trust is essential for effective policing, and the spread of disinformation and misinformation can erode this trust, making it difficult for police to engage communities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media posts circulated that police were selectively enforcing lockdown measures or using them for racial profiling. These false narratives spread quickly on social media, further eroding trust in law enforcement in marginalized communities. [5] As distrust grows, it becomes harder for police to gain public cooperation, which is critical for maintaining public order. [6]

Operational inefficiencies

Misinformation can also lead to operational hazards and inefficiencies, such as “swatting,” where false reports of emergencies called into 911 lead to misdirected police resources.

In June 2022, Uvalde’s school district police chief was the target of a swatting incident following the Robb Elementary School shooting where the threats against his life prompted a large emergency response, diverting critical resources during an already high-pressure situation. [7] The U.S. has seen a large increase in swatting incidents over the past few years including bomb threats against two judges (in DC and Georgia) who are handling both Trump investigations. [8] Such incidents are dangerous and a waste of police resources. They also add unnecessary stress to officers already managing complex crises. [9] False reports also strain community relations and damage public perception of police effectiveness, especially when emergency services are misused. [10]

Threats to officer safety

Disinformation can incite violence against police officers by portraying them as adversaries. During the 2016 Malheur National Wildlife Refuge standoff in Oregon, militants spread false narratives that federal agents were unjustly seizing land. This disinformation fueled hostility toward law enforcement, creating a volatile situation [11] that led to the death of one militant, LaVoy Finicum. His death was then followed by further disinformation claiming he was murdered by the FBI, despite evidence showing he reached for a weapon before being shot. Such false narratives put officers at greater risk by escalating tensions. [12]

Threats to equal justice and impartial decision-making

Misinformation also threatens the delivery of equal justice by exacerbating existing biases.

False narratives about groups, such as immigrants, can lead to discriminatory policing where undocumented immigrants are often blamed for crime increases, despite evidence showing that they are less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens. [13, 14] Disinformation campaigns targeting these groups undermine trust between immigrants and law enforcement, which is crucial for solving crimes. [15]

The critical role of police leaders

Given the profound impacts of misinformation and disinformation, police leaders must take proactive steps to combat these challenges. This involves creating systems within their organizations to identify, address and mitigate the spread of false information that could potentially affect the delivery of fair and impartial police services. The following are some examples of a few actions police leaders can take to mitigate the impact of misinformation and disinformation on their organizations.

• Building robust communication channels: Transparent communication is vital tool to counter false narratives and rebuild trust. [16] Police should establish reliable and trustworthy communication channels to provide accurate and timely information. By increasing internal communications, social media, and community outreach, police can counter false narratives and provide fact-based updates to both the public and the rank and file. [17]
• Training and awareness programs: Training officers to recognize and respond to misinformation instead of reacting to it is crucial. Programs should educate officers on identifying false information and actively fact-checking it and considering the potential impacts it could have on their ability to maintain impartial decisions that may adversely affect relationships with their coworkers or the communities that they serve. [18]
• Establishing misinformation/disinformation units: Specialized units within police agencies could be created to monitor and counter false information. This unit would be charged with identifying false information, fact-checking claims, and creating counter-narratives to restore trust between police and the community. These units could also collaborate with tech companies and civil society organizations to develop early-warning systems and identify harmful content in real time. [19]

Conclusion

Misinformation and disinformation pose significant risks to policing operations, public trust, and officer safety. By developing robust communication channels, implementing training programs, and establishing specialized units to identify and counter misinformation and disinformation, police agencies can address these challenges head on and ensure fair, impartial policing in an era dominated by AI-assisted social media and digital communications.

References

1. Brown P, Cheetham J, Seddon S, Palumbo D. (2023). Gaza hospital: What video, pictures and other evidence tell us about Al-Ahli hospital blast. BBC News.

2. Roose K, Wakabayashi D. (2019). Disinformation Machine: What Happens When You Tweak Videos of Public Figures. The New York Times.

3. Molina MD, Sundaresan S, Ferrara E. (2021). Disinformation, Misinformation, and Fake News in the Post-Truth Era: A Longitudinal Study of the Topical Spread of Conspiracy Theories in Social Media. New Media & Society.

4. Freund R, Hitchen J. (2021). The Role of Disinformation in the Capitol Insurrection: How False Narratives Fueled the January 6 Attack. The Brookings Institution.

5. Donovan J. (2020). How COVID-19 Misinformation Threatens Public Health and Trust in Law Enforcement. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review.

6. Culpepper C. (2020). The Impact of Misinformation on Police-Community Relations During COVID-19. Police Chief Magazine.

7. Caplan A. (2022). Uvalde School Police Chief Targeted in Swatting Incident Amid Ongoing Shooting Fallout. ABC News.

8. Amy J, Whitehurst L. (2024). Judges overseeing Trump cases in New York and DC are latest targets as bogus ‘swatting’ calls surge. Associated Press.

9. Morrison P. (2022). False Report Prompts Emergency Response: A Look into the Uvalde Swatting Incident. The Washington Post.

10. Fernandez M. (2022). Swatting Incident Misdirects Resources in Uvalde Amid School Shooting Investigation. The New York Times.

11. Neiwert D. (2016). How the Right’s Oregon Standoff Narrative Avoids the Reality of Finicum’s Death. Southern Poverty Law Center.