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In terms of security policy, disinformation that is directly or indirectly controlled by foreign states is categorised as a hybrid threat. The category of hybrid threats includes the manipulation of public opinion by spreading disinformation and propaganda online, as well as other forms of foreign interference.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI) coordinates the Federal Government’s approach to hybrid threats.
Disinformation can be a major threat to public security and order and can weaken social cohesion. Countries such as Russia and China have intentionally spread false information in Germany for years, for example in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. Russian disinformation in Germany has significantly increased in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. An interministerial task force led by the BMI is addressing the challenge of disinformation.
The internet offers the perfect conditions for attacks in the form of disinformation campaigns. For example, organised actors with political motives may manipulate information or present it out of context in order to influence public debate. False or misleading information can spread very rapidly on social media and reach large numbers of people.
Open, pluralist and democratic societies are vulnerable to foreign influence operations because they offer so many targets for both open and covert activities. Disinformation is often used to undermine public trust in government and to stoke or aggravate social conflicts by focusing on controversial issues.
Foreign state actors can also use cyber attacks to prepare disinformation activities. In other countries, for example, they have used a covert approach in which they hack social media accounts and steal data from elected officials in order to manipulate it or publish it in a misleading way. The BMI and its security agencies are monitoring potential attacks of this nature very closely.
