Disinformation: Concept and Essence

The purpose of the study is to clarify the essence of disinformation as a threat to the rights and legitimate interests of a person, society, and the state, to identify its main features, and to formulate a clear definition of this concept. Methods. To achieve this goal, the following methods were used: analysis, synthesis, comparative law, abstraction, and generalization. Results. Different approaches to the definition of “disinformation” are considered. The main features of this phenomenon are singled out and generalized. The difference between the terms “disinformation”, “unreliable information” and “misinformation” is established. It is determined that the obligatory signs of disinformation are: intent to create, modify, and/or disseminate inaccurate information, intent to mislead, pre-determined purpose, and violation or the possibility of violation of legal rights and interests of a person or state as a result of such activities. The own approach to the understanding of disinformation in a narrow and wide sense is formulated. It is proposed to enshrine at the legal level the definition of this concept as a purposeful process of creating, modifying, and disseminating information, both inaccurate and reliable, to mislead individuals (groups of persons) to achieve political, economic, or ideological goals, which violate or human and civil rights and/or society and the state may be violated, and take it as a basis for the activities of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation and other public authorities in the performance of tasks related to counteracting and preventing the negative consequences of disinformation. Conclusions. In the digital age, disinformation has reached a “new level” and has certainly become one of the main challenges for both individual, states and the entire international community. Therefore, the development of legal mechanisms to combat this phenomenon has become more urgent than ever. In Ukraine, there is an understanding of the danger of this phenomenon, as evidenced by the definition of disinformation as one of the challenges and threats to national interests at the level of strategic regulations and the creation of a special working body of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine – Disinformation Center. At the same time, there is no definition of “disinformation” in national legislation. The key to the effective implementation of information policy to prevent and counteract the negative consequences of disinformation, protection of national security and interests in the information sphere, and the activities of the Center for Countering Disinformation is to consolidate the concept of “disinformation” at the regulatory level.