«DIGITAL DISINFORMATION» IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERSTATE INTERACTION

Abstract

The article explores the concept of “digital disinformation” and the role of this phenomenon in the system of
interstate interaction. It demonstrates that digital disinformation is a type of a broader contemporary
phenomenon derived from technological achievements – polluted information. It is noted that the fundamental
principle of conventionality in modern international law forms the basis of interstate interaction, but at the same
time creates its vulnerability. Therefore, the dissemination of false information in the interstate space can be seen
as a kind of response to the anarchic nature of the international system, which results from the absence of a
supranational authority capable of guaranteeing the complete security of states. Under such conditions, states are
forced to constantly ensure their own survival, which creates incentives to use deception as a political tool.
Accordingly, the dissemination of false information by one state within the territory of another can be considered
a natural and rational element of state strategy.
The main ontological forms of digital disinformation in the international space are: disinformation news,
disinformation campaigns, and disinformation operations (the article provides examples of these ontological
forms and assesses their effectiveness in terms of achieving the desired outcome). The spread of digital
disinformation employs the full arsenal of information and communication technologies, but at the current stage,
the most in-demand tools are social networks, messengers, and AI, which trains and fills large language models
(LLMs) with the “needed” information. In the sphere of international interaction, digital disinformation is
disseminated for: achieving political goals by interfering in the domestic politics of another state; gaining an
advantage in conditions of overt or covert aggression; destabilizing the internal legal order and social balance of
another state; and achieving propaganda objectives. The content of digital disinformation is oriented toward the
cultural and political characteristics of the region.

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