disinformation

The deliberate creation and dissemination of false or misleading content in order to deceive an audience or to gain an advantage.

In its 2018 action plan, the European Commission defines disinformation as verifiably false or misleading information that is created, presented and disseminated for economic gain or to intentionally deceive the public, and that may cause public harm. The definition excludes inadvertent errors, satire and parody.¹

In Poland, since 1 October 2023, Article 130(9) of the Criminal Code has provided for a prison sentence of no less than eight years for anyone who, while taking part in the activities of a foreign intelligence service or acting on its behalf, conducts disinformation – that is, spreads false or misleading information – in order to cause serious disruption to the political system or economy of Poland, of an allied state or of an international organisation to which Poland belongs, or to induce a public authority to take or refrain from a particular action.²

The CIA's glossary puts it briefly: false information spread deliberately.³