– By Manya Shastry,
– Intern at IPPCS’21
Disinformation is a subset of propaganda and is false information that is spread deliberately to deceive. It is also known as black propaganda. It is sometimes confused with misinformation, which is false information but is not deliberate.
Government intelligence services are the primary perpetrators of disinformation, although non-governmental groups and corporations have also utilized it. Front groups are a type of deception since they deceive the public about their real goals and who controls them. Most recently, misinformation has been distributed on social media in the form of “fake news,” which is disinformation disguised as real news items with the intent of misleading readers or viewers. Distributing fake papers, manuscripts, and pictures, as well as disseminating hazardous rumours and false intelligence, are all examples of disinformation.
Disinformation is not a new threat. These fabricated narratives manipulate sentiment, feed negative biases that form convictions, and bolster actions of online hate speech, as evidenced by the falsehoods that fueled the “Corona Jihad” controversy in early March and fake stories alleging China’s deliberate role in enabling the spread of Covid-19.
We have seen mis/disinformation take many hues – communal, xenophobic, distorting medical information, even infiltrating the voices of the State – with Indians being the most susceptible to false news (as determined by Microsoft’s Digital Civility Index of 2019). The results have been devastating, ranging from increasing sectarian strife to schisms in public confidence and credibility.
With no specific provision to regulate fake news but a slew of ambiguous legislation that covers everything from defamation to sedition to inciting public mischief in the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, the Indian policy establishment is woefully unprepared to deal with the problem. Due to a lack of technical and cognitive capacity, the Indian government is notorious for imposing arbitrary blanket internet shutdowns and blocking websites in an attempt to combat misinformation, which, while providing a veneer of short-term relief, cause irreversible social, economic, and humanitarian harm in the long run.
This issue clearly highlights the necessity for a hybrid, flexible, and collaborative multi-stakeholder strategy in the face of this gap in State competence, intermediary duty, lack of confidence, and coordination among component groups. It’s critical to have a good balance of participation, ideas, and implementation. In this sense, India might benefit from a state-coordinated and controlled industry-led self-regulatory system. The European Commission’s strategy to combat internet disinformation can be used as an example.
Misinformation is “false information that is spread, regardless of intent to mislead.”
Misinformation is information that is incorrect, inaccurate, or misleading and is disseminated without the purpose to deceive. False rumours, insults, pranks, and the misrepresentation of facts are all examples of disinformation.
Misinformation, like disinformation and propaganda, has a long history in the history of mass communication. The insults and smears disseminated among political opponents in Imperial and Renaissance Italy in the form of “pasquinades” are among the early instances of misinformation being spread in communities which was highlighted in a 2017 essay by Robert Darnton.
Misinformation is an issue that isn’t going away anytime soon. It would also be unrealistic to expect that if the government changes in the forthcoming General Elections, hate messages, misinformation, and fraudulent communications will be removed from social messaging platforms overnight. Our lack of education and incapacity to challenge information are at the root of the problem of disinformation. It’s rooted in our tendency to believe whatever our friends and family tell us. It’s rooted in the prejudices and preconceptions we’ve grown to believe in through time. It’s in the mainstream media’s sloppy or biased reporting.
The more difficult path forward is to raise user awareness, but as past examples have demonstrated, tightening the noose around technology—in this case, killing the messenger—or enacting severe laws and regulations are ineffective in countering the threat in its current form. However, the government’s, private enterprises’, civil society’s, and media’s ability to collaborate at the community level has the potential to effect change. Our community workshops have shown us that the issue stems from a lack of basic knowledge of the subject. While conducting these courses in many places, we’ve seen that the older age, as opposed to the younger, is more likely to spread falsehoods due to ignorance.
Despite recognising that transmitted material may be harmful, it has been discovered that individuals choose to forward it without comprehending the consequences. People, like many others, are under a certain amount of peer pressure to be the first to communicate spectacular news, regardless of its veracity. Furthermore, individuals have a scepticism about false news. They frequently lack the ability to perceive the big picture. It’s just one small step ahead.
Misinformation is a bigger problem in India than disinformation, albeit the latter isn’t far behind. Despite the fact that India has a variety of laws protecting against hate speech, defamation, and incitement to violence, a segment of the population continues to engage in it, frequently in public on social media platforms. There is little evidence that the administration is making a concerted effort to combat the problem of false news. If there was, more tangible attempts would be made to combat specialised IT cells set up by various political parties to manufacture and distribute misinformation. If there was, effective action would be taken against individuals who disseminate hatred and violence-inducing false statements on unencrypted social media sites like Twitter or Facebook, where the sender’s identity is not disguised.
Our culture is rife with misinformation and disinformation. The problem of false news can never be solved unless people’s attitudes and mindsets are completely changed. It is a shared duty that we must accept without prejudice or hate. However, it should be highlighted that a one-size-fits-all strategy will not be effective in the ever-evolving fight against misinformation. There is a continual need for policy iteration and modification, which will be practicable when a mechanism like this is implemented as a stepping stone or a base framework. This would fill in the gaps in the current regulatory framework and pave the way for collaborative consensus.
References
- Bittman, Ladislav (1985), The KGB and Soviet Disinformation: An Insider’s View, Pergamon-Brassey’s, pp. 49–50, ISBN 978-0-08-031572-0
- Goldman, Jan (2006), “Disinformation”, Words of Intelligence: A Dictionary, Scarecrow Press, p. 43, ISBN 978-0-8108-5641-7
- Samier, Eugene A. (2014), Secrecy and Tradecraft in Educational Administration: The Covert Side of Educational Life, Routledge Research in Education, Routledge, p. 176, ISBN 978-0-415-81681-6
- Tandoc, Edson C; Lim, Darren; Ling, Rich (7 August 2019). “Diffusion of disinformation: How social media users respond to fake news and why”. Journalism. 21 (3): 381–398. doi:10.1177/1464884919868325. ISSN 1464-8849. S2CID 202281476.
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary (19 August 2020). “Misinformation”
- The True History of Fake News”. The New York Review of Books. 2017-02-13. Archived from the original on 2019-02-05.
onducted a total of five underground nuclear tests, breaking a 24-year self-imposed moratorium on nuclear testing. Pakistan followed, claiming 5 tests on May 28, 1998, and an additional test on May 30. The unannounced tests created a global storm of criticism, as well as a serious setback for decades of U.S. nuclear nonproliferation efforts in South Asia. On May 13, 1998, President Clinton imposed economic and military sanctions on India, mandated by Section 102 of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), and applied the same sanctions to Pakistan on May 30. Some effects of the sanctions on India included: termination of $21 million in FY1998 economic development assistance; postponement of $1.7 billion in lending by the International Financial Institutions (IFI), as supported by the Group of Eight (G-8) leading industrial nations; prohibition on loans or credit from U.S. banks to the government of India; and termination of Foreign Military Sales under the Arms Export Control Act. Humanitarian assistance, food, or other agricultural commodities are excepted from sanctions under the law. 
The first ministerial level meeting of QUAD was held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Before this, the QUAD had
AusIndEx is an exercise between India and Australia which was first held in 2015.The Australian 
On recommendations of the Japanese government, the four countries met at Manila, Philippines for ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) originally, but also ended up having a meeting of what we call the first meeting of four nation states on issues of 
On his official visit to India, Japanese PM Mr. Shinzo Abe reinforced the ties of two nations, i.e., Japan and India with his famous speech about 
In 2007, Japanese President Shinzo Abe resigned from his post citing health reasons. This had a significant impact on QUAD as he was the architect & advocate of QUAD. His successor, Yasuo Fukuda, did not take up QUAD with such zeal leading to dormancy of the forum. (
Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011, also called Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tōhoku Earthquake, was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which struck below the floor of the Western Pacific at 2:49 PM. The powerful earthquake affected the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island, and also initiated a series of large tsunami waves that devastated coastal areas of Japan, which also led to a major nuclear accident. Japan received aid from India, US, Australia as well as other countries. US Navy aircraft carrier was dispatched to the area and Australia sent search-and-rescue teams. 
India and Australia signed the 
The India-Japan Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was signed on 11 November, 2016 and came into force on 20 July, 2017 which was representative of strengthening ties between India and Japan. Diplomatic notes were exchanged between Dr. S. Jaishankar and H.E. Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India. (
The foreign ministry
The Officials of QUAD member countries met in Singapore on November 15, 2018 for consultation on regional & global issues of common interest. The main discussion revolved around connectivity, sustainable development, counter-terrorism, maritime and cyber security, with the view to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the 
The 23rd edition of trilateral Malabar maritime exercise between India, US and Japan took place on 26 September- 04 October, 2019 off the coast of Japan. 
After the first ministerial level meeting of QUAD in September, 2019, the senior officials of US, Japan, India and Australia again met for consultations in Bangkok on the margins of the East Asia Summit. Statements were issued separately by the four countries. Indian Ministry of External Affairs said “In statements issued separately by the four countries, MEA said, “proceeding from the strategic guidance of their Ministers, who met in New York City on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly recently, the officials exchanged views on ongoing and additional practical cooperation in the areas of connectivity and infrastructure development, and security matters, including counterterrorism, cyber and maritime security, with a view to promoting peace, security, stability, prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”
US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was held on 18 December, 2019, in Washington DC. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper will host Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar and Minister of Defense Shri Rajnath Singh. The discussion focussed on deepening bilateral strategic and defense cooperation, exchanging perspectives on global developments, and our shared leadership in the Indo-Pacific region.The two democracies signed the Industrial Security Annex before the 2+2 Dialogue. Assessments of the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Indian Ocean region in general were shared between both countries. (
The foreign ministers of QUAD continued their discussions from the last ministerial level meeting in 2019, on 6 October, 2020. While there was no joint statement released, all countries issued individual readouts. As per the issue readout by India, the discussion called for a coordinated response to the challenges including financial problems emanating from the pandemic, best practices to combat Covid-19, increasing the resilience of supply chains, and enhancing access to affordable vaccines, medicines and medical equipment. There was also a focus on maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region amidst growing tensions. Australian media release mentions “We emphasised that, especially during a pandemic, it was vital that states work to ease tensions and avoid exacerbating long-standing disputes, work to counter disinformation, and refrain from malicious cyberspace activity. Ministers reiterated that states cannot assert maritime claims that are inconsistent with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
On September 24, President Biden hosted Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan at the White House for the first-ever in-person Leaders’ Summit of the QUAD. The leaders released a Joint Statement which summarised their dialogue and future course of action. The regional security of the Indo-Pacific and strong confidence in the ASEAN remained on the focus along with response to the Pandemic. 
The QUAD Vaccine Partnership was announced at the first QUAD Summit on 12 March 2021 where QUAD countries agreed to deliver 1.2 billion vaccine doses globally. The aim was to expand and finance vaccine manufacturing and equipping the Indo-Pacific to build resilience against Covid-19. The launch of a senior-level QUAD Vaccine Experts Group, comprised of top scientists and officials from all QUAD member governments was also spearheaded. 
Although the Tsunami Core group had to be disbanded on fulfilment of its purpose, however the quadrilateral template that formed remained intact as a successful scaffolding of four countries, as stated by authors Patrick Gerard Buchan and Benjamin Rimland in their diplomatic brief about QUAD ( you can access the brief at 
Secretary of State Colin Powell stated that the Core Tsunami Group was to be disbanded and folded and clubbed with the broader United Nations led Relief Operations. In a Tsunami Relief Conference in Jakarta, Secretary Powell stated that 
Soon after the Earthquake and Tsunami crisis, humanitarian reliefs by countries, viz., US, India, Japan, and Australia started to help the 13 havoc-stricken countries. The US initially promised $ 35 Millions in aid. However, on 29
At 7:59AM local time, an earthquake of 9.1 magnitude (undersea) hit the coast of Sumatra, an Indonesian island. As a result of the same, massive waves of Tsunami triggered by the earthquake wreaked havoc for 7 hours across the Indian Ocean and to the coastal areas as far away as East Africa. The infamous Tsunami killed around 225,000 people, with people reporting the height of waves to be as high as 9 metres, i.e., 30 feet. Indonesia, Srilanka, India, Maldives, Thailand sustained horrendously massive damage, with the death toll exceeding 200,000 in Northern Sumatra’s Ache province alone. A great many people, i.e., around tens of thousands were found dead or missing in Srilanka and India, mostly from Andaman and Nicobar Islands of Indian territory. Maldives, being a low-lying country, also reported casualties in hundreds and more, with several non-Asian tourists reported dead or missing who were vacationing. Lack of food, water, medicines burgeoned the numbers of casualties, with the relief workers finding it difficult to reach the remotest areas where roads were destroyed or civil war raged. Long-term environmental damage ensued too, as both natural and man-made resources got demolished and diminished.
No responses yet