Disinformation

Disinformation is more legally actionable than misinformation because intent matters in defamation, fraud, and election-interference law. Coordinated disinformation campaigns — sometimes state-sponsored — typically combine fake documents, sock-puppet social accounts, and amplification via paid bots or unwitting reposters. Detection relies on provenance (where did this first appear?), pattern analysis (who is amplifying?), and primary-source verification. See also: misinformation, influence operation.