Strategic Intelligence: Misinformation
Description
Strategic Intelligence: Misinformation
Summary
Misinformation is not a new phenomenon, but the technology behind it is unprecedented. Big data and artificial intelligence (AI) provide the foundation for digital ecosystems to pursue personalization at scale. With sophisticated algorithms and huge data troves, social media platforms can tailor content to reach those most likely to be influenced. The ad-targeting business model prioritizes profit over quality of content and respect for the user’s privacy.
Key Highlights
Summary
Misinformation is not a new phenomenon, but the technology behind it is unprecedented. Big data and artificial intelligence (AI) provide the foundation for digital ecosystems to pursue personalization at scale. With sophisticated algorithms and huge data troves, social media platforms can tailor content to reach those most likely to be influenced. The ad-targeting business model prioritizes profit over quality of content and respect for the user’s privacy.
Key Highlights
- Misinformation poses a major threat to the integrity of democratic elections. Civil society is increasingly holding Big Tech accountable for allowing the proliferation of false narratives spread by humans and bots online. These platforms are often accused of distorting the information we consume, negatively impacting us both individually and collectively. According to the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Risk Report, misinformation and disinformation pose the greatest risks to countries and businesses over the next two years.
- Regulators and policymakers disagree on how to tackle misinformation, as it risks impacting online freedom of expression. Yet there has never been a broader consensus that something must be done, and since 2020, more regulations have been introduced globally to tackle the issue.
- Some tech companies are increasing their efforts to combat misinformation without impacting online expression. However, some of the world’s most popular social media platforms, including Meta and X, have relaxed moderation standards. Traditional publishers and TV broadcasters will benefit from increased misinformation regulation, as they do not profit from targeted ads. Tech companies advancing misinformation-prone AI systems, internet services that profit from targeted ads, and ad companies will be negatively impacted.
- This report looks at how misinformation is impacting the tech, media, and telecom (TMT) industry globally.
- It identifies the companies that will be impacted by misinformation regulation, as well as the main trends shaping the misinformation theme.
- It includes details of regulatory approaches to misinformation by country and a timeline, showing the major milestones in this theme.
- Regulators and policymakers disagree on how to tackle misinformation, as it risks impacting online freedom of expression. Yet there has never been a broader consensus that something must be done, and since 2020, more regulations have been introduced globally to tackle the issue. In this report, we identify the likely winners and losers from regulatory action on misinformation.
Table of Contents
58 Pages
- Executive Summary
- Players
- Thematic Briefing
- Understanding misinformation
- Components of misinformation
- Creation of misinformation
- State actors
- Non-state actors
- Actors’ methods
- Misinformation impacts democracy
- Algorithms and data
- Erosion of trust in public institutions
- Trends
- Technology trends
- Macroeconomic trends
- cRegulatory trends
- Regulatory Briefing
- Stakeholders are increasingly concerned about misinformation
- Regulation could endanger freedom of speech
- Is self-regulation the solution?
- Regulatory responses to misinformation by country
- Measures by online platforms to tackle misinformation
- Meta
- X (formerly Twitter)
- ByteDance
- Timeline
- Companies
- Public companies
- Private companies
- Sector Scorecards
- Social media sector scorecard
- Who’s who
- Thematic screen
- Valuation screen
- Risk screen
- Advertising sector scorecard
- Who’s who
- Thematic screen
- Valuation screen
- Risk screen
- Glossary
- Further Reading
- GlobalData reports
- Our Thematic Research Methodology
- About GlobalData
- Contact Us
- List of Tables
- Table 1: Technology trends
- Table 2: Macroeconomic trends
- Table 3: Macroeconomic trends
- Table 4: Regulatory responses to misinformation by country
- Table 5: Public companies
- Table 6: Private companies
- Table 7: Glossary
- Table 8: GlobalData reports
- List of Figures
- Figure 1: Which TMT companies will be impacted by misinformation regulation?
- Figure 2: The misinformation theme has three core elements
- Figure 3: The components of misinformation
- Figure 4: 26 countries have passed specific laws to combat misinformation and disinformation
- Figure 5: Meta’s Community Notes
- Figure 6: TikTok rolls out Footnotes in the US
- Figure 7: The misinformation story
- Figure 8: Who does what in the social media space?
- Figure 9: Thematic screen - Social media sector scorecard
- Figure 10: Valuation screen - Social media sector scorecard
- Figure 11: Risk screen - Social media sector scorecard
- Figure 12: Thematic screen - Advertising sector scorecard
- Figure 13: Valuation screen - Advertising sector scorecard
- Figure 14: Risk screen - Advertising sector scorecard
- Figure 15: Our five-step approach for generating a sector scorecard
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