NASK: COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst and training field for disinformation activities

Asked by PAP about disinformation in the area of health, NASK representatives explain that during the pandemic the institute recorded a significant increase in harmful content. What's more, a group of accounts has crystallized that is also active in other topics, in which we observe the phenomenon of disinformation (such as monkeypox, Russia's war with Ukraine).

'The pandemic enabled verification of the effectiveness of specific methods of creating and applying harmful content', NASK representatives emphasise.

The official EU definition of disinformation was developed by a team of experts from EU member states led by Professor Madeleine de Cock Buning from Utrecht University. Their task was to describe and systematize the phenomenon, and present recommendations for EU institutions that deal with combating disinformation. According to the definition, disinformation is 'false or misleading content that is spread with an intention to deceive or secure economic or political gain, and which may cause public harm'.

Although spreading so-called fake news is not a new phenomenon, it definitely intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic.

'According to the analysed research material, the most content related to the effectiveness of vaccinations was recorded in January. Lifting restrictions in England was the least popular topic. In February, the discourse related to the vaccination program intensified. In March, the topic of sanitary policy and sanitary segregation was most often undertaken. The topic of the effects of the pandemic dominated in April. At that time, we recorded the most content summarizing the coronavirus period, which was associated with the lifting of the state of COVID-19 epidemic in Poland, NASK representatives report.

Heidi Larson, head of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, described the levels of online misinformation regarding vaccines.

The first level is 'bad science', which is the most damaging attitude. It consists in the fact that people with medical credentials stoking overblown or unfounded fears associated with vaccines. Another group are people who see anti-vaccine debates as a financial opportunity for selling books, services, or other products. The third tier of misinformation includes people who see anti-vaccine debates as a political opportunity, a wedge with which to polarize society. The last category are 'super-spreaders', who propagate misinformation through social media to like-minded vaccine-questioners.

NASK experts involved in analysing disinformation in the period from January to March 2022 analysed 1014 negative posts that concerned the broadly understood COVID-19 pandemic. The analysed threads included only Polish publications in social media, which contained dangerous or harmful content.

During those three months, the most entries referred to the effectiveness of vaccines (273), sanitary segregation (224) and sanitary policy (174). Other topics of fake news concerned booster doses (119), vaccination programme (87), type of vaccine (72) and data security (58).

Seven entries concerned lifting restrictions in England.

Researchers from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene reported in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene that only in the first months of the pandemic, from December 31, 2019 to April 5, 2020, it was possible to identify 2,311 reports related to COVID-19 infodemic in 25 languages from 87 countries. Of these, 2,049 (89%) of the reports were classified as rumours, 182 (7.8%) were conspiracy theories, and 82 (3.5%) were stigma. As they pointed out, following the misinformation that consumption of highly concentrated alcohol could disinfect the body and kill the virus, approximately 800 people have died, 5,876 have been hospitalised and 60 have developed complete blindness after drinking methanol as a cure of coronavirus.

'The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected both the quantity and intensity of emerging disinformation (false narratives) in the information space, both in Poland and globally. In the infosphere, especially in social media, many accounts (including fake ones) and groups were created that - intentionally and unintentionally - spread the disinformation regarding issues related to SARS-CoV2 and/or closely related matters', says Damian Duda, head of the Information Policy Department of the Government Security Centre.

As part of its mandate, the Government Security Centre monitors the information space, also in terms of misinformation. According to Duda, this concerns all areas related to state security, including in the area of health. 'The objective of monitoring the information is to identify and predict emerging threats. It is not data collection', he points out.

Research on health disinformation is carried out also in Poland. According to the report 'Disinformation through the eyes of Poles' prepared by the foundation Digital Poland, as many as 44% respondents believed at least one fake news to be true.

Looking at individual popular fake news, the most Poles (63%) agree with the statement manufacturers are hiding information about harmful ingredients in food additives. 57% agree that genetically modified plants are unhealthy for humans. 30% indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic was previously planned, and 28% believe that breastfeeding eliminates the risk of cancer in women. 13% positive answers each obtained the claims that vaccines caused autism, and SARS, swine flu or COVID-19 were a consequence of launching 3G, 4G and 5G technology.

According to NASK, from May to June there was a significant decrease in interest in the subject of coronavirus.

'In July and August, disinformation was recorded again. The most common thread is the lack of effectiveness of vaccines and suggestions that the pandemic is fiction. There are often conspiracy theories and fuelling negative moods of the public. There is again an increase in content showing graphs that indicate a high percentage distribution of deaths of unvaccinated people - however, the lack of providing a reliable source is disturbing (...). In addition, the topic of coronavirus is combined with the refugee situation - it is now pointed out that the war in Ukraine has saved citizens from compulsory vaccination', NASK representatives emphasise.

According to NASK data, the main threads related to health safety, in which we currently observe disinformation, are COVID-19 (mainly ineffectiveness or harmfulness of vaccines), monkeypox, alleged lack of medicines in Polish hospitals and preferential treatment of foreigners in a health care facilities.

Disinformation, especially in the area of health safety, causes negative effects. Fake news can cause information chaos, public unrest, discredit certain people or products, have an impact on the health and safety of individuals and larger groups, and even incite real actions with disastrous effects. (PAP)

Author: Aleksandra Kiełczykowska

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