Misinformation: Why it’s a global risk that demands collective vigilance

Against this backdrop, the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Risk Report 2025 highlights the rapid spread of misinformation as a top global threat. Its inclusion among risks like cyberattacks, climate change, and geopolitical conflicts underscores the severity of digital falsehoods in shaping collective behavior and policy. As the volume of online information grows exponentially, so does the complexity of distinguishing verifiable facts from deliberate distortions.
 This article examines four real cases of misinformation, explores the multi-level risks arising from deceptive content, and proposes strategies—rooted in education, transparent communication, risk management frameworks, and prudent policymaking — to mitigate this pervasive menace.Real-World Examples of Misinformation

Below are four well-documented incidents where false narratives gained traction with alarming speed and impact. These examples, spanning different regions and themes, illustrate the universal vulnerability to manipulated or incomplete information.

1. 1. Rumors Surrounding the Beirut Port Explosion (Middle East)

The Real Incident:

On August 4, 2020, an enormous explosion at the Port of Beirut in Lebanon killed scores of people, injured thousands more, and devastated much of the city. In the immediate aftermath, social media buzzed with numerous theories—some posts claimed it was a nuclear detonation, others alleged a foreign missile strike, and a few pointed to hidden weapons caches. While official investigations largely attributed the blast to improperly stored ammonium nitrate, many questioned or rejected these findings amid a climate of low trust in government.

How Misinformation Spread:

• • Instant Viral Posts: Cell phone footage of the towering blast wave flooded Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp, often paired with speculative, alarmist captions.
  • Conspiracy Amplification: Public figures and influencers, both inside and outside Lebanon, contributed unverified claims, further fueling public confusion.
  • Echo Chambers: Ongoing political and sectarian tensions in Lebanon led various groups to champion conspiracies that aligned with their existing grievances.

Consequences:

• • Public Confusion: Misinformation disrupted efforts to channel collective energy into rescue and relief efforts, as citizens struggled to discern fact from fiction.
  • Erosion of Trust: Lingering skepticism toward the government deepened, undermining official statements and hampering efforts to unify the population.
  • Hampered Recovery: NGOs and volunteers faced additional hurdles, repeatedly debunking rumors about aid distribution, which slowed logistical coordination.

2. 2. WhatsApp Child-Kidnapping Rumors (India)

The Real Incident:

Between 2017 and 2018, widespread WhatsApp messages in multiple Indian states warned of roving gangs allegedly kidnapping children for organ trafficking. Grainy videos and unsettling images—often lifted from unrelated incidents—were forwarded as “evidence.” The rumors sparked panic-driven vigilantism in several communities.

How Misinformation Spread:

• • Closed-Group Dynamics: WhatsApp groups became echo chambers where forwarded messages were rarely challenged, allowing panic to thrive.
  • Emotional Triggers: Startling images and dramatic language elicited fear, leading people to share the content reflexively in the hope of protecting others.
  • False Proof: Most clips were extracted from old or unrelated contexts, but the lack of source verification fueled an air of authenticity.

Consequences:

• • Mob Violence: Innocent individuals were assaulted or, in some tragic cases, lynched by mobs convinced they were child abductors.
  • General Suspicion: Outsiders or strangers in certain districts faced heightened hostility, impeding normal community life and trade.
  • Resource Drain: Law enforcement had to devote major resources to quell mob actions and run awareness campaigns clarifying that the rumors were baseless.

3. 3. The “Pizzagate” Conspiracy (United States)

The Real Incident:

During the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, a conspiracy dubbed “Pizzagate” claimed a Washington, D.C., pizzeria was the epicenter of a child-trafficking operation run by political figures. Although no credible evidence supported the theory, it quickly spread among partisan internet forums and social media groups.

How Misinformation Spread:

• • Online Forums and Meme Culture: Anonymous platforms like 4chan and Reddit reinterpreted mundane emails and images, weaving them into a nefarious plot.
  • Partisan Echo Chambers: Distrust of mainstream news outlets in certain political circles fueled acceptance of sensational “insider” narratives.
  • Forged Documents: Fake screenshots circulated as alleged leaks, reinforcing the false story’s veneer of authenticity.

Consequences:

• • Real-World Violence: A heavily armed individual arrived at the restaurant to “self-investigate,” firing shots and terrorizing staff and patrons before being arrested.
  • Reputational Harm: Restaurant owners and employees endured threats, harassment, and financial losses stemming from the negative publicity.
  • Political Polarization: “Pizzagate” illustrated how inflammatory conspiracy theories can exacerbate existing national divides and delegitimize conventional information channels.

4. 4. Bushfire Arson Myths (Australia)

The Real Incident:

During the 2019–2020 bushfire season—one of the most severe in Australia’s history—social media buzzed with claims that “over 180 arsonists” were solely responsible for the extensive blazes. While there were indeed a few confirmed arson incidents, experts overwhelmingly cited drought, extreme temperatures, and climate change as the primary drivers of the unprecedented scale.

How Misinformation Spread:

• • Selective Headlines: A handful of arson cases were amplified or misconstrued as representing the entire crisis.
  • Political Spin: Some climate change denial groups used the arson narrative to divert attention from environmental factors and systemic resource mismanagement.
  • Virality Over Fact: Posts supporting the arson theory gained massive traction, outpacing official corrections and complicating the dissemination of accurate information.

Consequences:

• • Distorted Debate: A singular fixation on arson overshadowed urgent discussions on climate resilience, resource allocation, and long-term ecological planning.
  • Expert Undermining: Firefighters, meteorologists, and environmental scientists encountered public skepticism when emphasizing climate variables.
  • Policy Delays: Political consensus on addressing the underlying causes of the bushfires was impeded, potentially slowing relief funding and proactive legislation.

Understanding the Multi-Level Risks

Though these examples differ geographically and thematically, each underscores the potency of misinformation in inflaming social discord and hampering functional decision-making. The ripple effects affect individuals, organisations, and governments on multiple fronts.

1. a. Individual Risks:

• • Emotional and Psychological Stress: Bouts of fear, paranoia, or anxiety can take hold when individuals repeatedly encounter sensational falsehoods.
  • Financial Vulnerabilities: Scammers exploit misinformation to promote fraudulent schemes or investments, entrapping those who cannot verify claims.
  • Reputational Damage: One viral falsehood can tarnish a person’s standing indefinitely, overshadowing any subsequent corrections.

2. b. Organisational Risks

• • Brand Erosion: Companies targeted by spurious claims—ranging from unsafe products to unethical practices—can suffer customer attrition and a slump in revenues.
  • Operational Disruption: Unverified rumors about restructurings, data breaches, or staff misconduct can lower employee morale and productivity.
  • Security Weak Points: Misinformation often overlaps with social engineering attacks, where employees are tricked into disclosing sensitive data based on misleading cues.

3. c. Governmental Risks

• • Policy Paralysis: When large segments of the public or political figures themselves are swayed by false narratives, passing evidence-based legislation becomes an uphill battle.
  • Social Unrest: Misinformation can intensify communal tensions, leading to riots, protests, or radicalized actions that demand robust security responses.
  • Declining Public Trust: Each viral hoax or debunked conspiracy can corrode citizens’ faith in official statements, reducing compliance with public health directives, security alerts, or economic measures.

Misinformation in the Global Risk LandscapeThe WEF Global Risk Report 2025 positions digital misinformation alongside existential threats such as large-scale cyberattacks, climate-induced disasters, and geopolitical hostilities. On page 7, the report underscores how the speed and reach of modern communication platforms allow falsehoods to proliferate more rapidly than evidence-based rebuttals. This dynamic fosters fragmentation, where communities retreat into echo chambers, intensifying political polarization and stifling collaborative efforts to address shared problems—be they pandemics, financial shocks, or environmental challenges.

Concurrent technological advancements add complexity. AI-generated “deepfakes” can fabricate images, videos, and even voice recordings with unsettling realism, blurring the line between legitimate documentation and orchestrated deception. Such capabilities mean that even well-informed audiences can be duped, fueling a culture of pervasive skepticism where genuine information struggles to gain traction.

Proposed Solutions for Mitigating Misinformation

1. Empowering Individuals:

1. 1. Media Literacy Education

• • Curricular Integration: Incorporate digital literacy and critical thinking skills into formal education, emphasizing how to cross-check sources and interpret data.
  • Community Workshops: Libraries, nonprofits, and local groups can host seminars on identifying manipulative images, vetting news headlines, and using fact-checking platforms.

1. 2. Responsible Sharing Culture:

• Pause Before Forwarding: Encourage social media users to verify the authenticity and publication date of posts before circulating them.
• Fact-Checking Tools: Services such as Snopes and FactCheck.org offer quick ways for individuals to confirm or debunk sensational claims.

1. 3. Organisational Resilience :

• • Rapid Response Plans: Businesses, NGOs, and other entities should craft protocols to issue swift and coherent statements whenever misinformation threatens their operations or reputation.
  • Employee Training: Conduct regular sessions on identifying phishing, malicious rumors, and potential hoaxes that could exploit staff naiveté.

1. 4. Risk Management Frameworks

• • ISO 31000, IRM Risk Culture, COSO and Beyond: Adopting structured risk management approaches ensures that organizations proactively identify, assess, and mitigate misinformation threats.
  • Dedicated Monitoring: Assign marketing teams and Chief Risk Officers (CROs), risk managers — to track online chatter for misleading content that might escalate into a PR or security crisis. This includes using analytics dashboards, natural language processing tools, and other modern techniques for real-time threat detection.

1. 5. Governmental and Policy Measures

1. Balanced Legislation:
   

   • Targeted Enforcement: Develop laws that penalize orchestrated disinformation campaigns while safeguarding free expression.
   • Digital Forensics: Equip law enforcement with technical capabilities to trace the origins of viral lies and dismantle orchestrated networks efficiently.

1. 6. Public Awareness Campaigns:

• • Official Fact-Checking Portals: Governments can partner with civil society to create and promote online platforms where users can quickly verify trending rumors.
  • Local Outreach: Collaborate with influential community leaders to disseminate accurate information, particularly in areas with limited digital literacy.

1. 7. International Collaboration

• • Cross-Border Data Sharing: Misinformation knows no boundaries. Joint initiatives enable different countries to share intelligence on emergent hoaxes and coordinate collective countermeasures.
  • Tech Industry Engagement: Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube hold immense power in information distribution. Partnering with them to label or demote flagged falsehoods can drastically reduce harmful virality.

Why Misinformation Must Not Be Underestimated

The dangers posed by misinformation extend far beyond online forums; they manifest tangibly in societal rifts, wasted resources, thwarted policy initiatives, and even physical harm. By the time false content is debunked, the damage—to reputations, social cohesion, or public safety—may be severe and irreversible. Moreover, emerging technologies such as deepfakes threaten to blur the line between reality and fabrication, making it even harder for citizens, companies, and policymakers to trust what they see and hear. When faced with manipulated content, a lapse in critical judgment can unravel relationships, derail civic engagement, and amplify polarization.

As the WEF Global Risk Report 2025 notes, these challenges are not isolated. Misinformation intertwines with other global dangers—economic shocks, public health crises, and geopolitical tensions—often exacerbating them. The result is a heightened level of complexity that requires collective attention and robust, multi-level strategies.

Toward a More Informed Digital Ecosystem

From rumors of child kidnappings in India to politically charged conspiracies in the United States, the illustrative cases in this article reveal a powerful truth: misinformation, unmoored from accountability, can spread like wildfire across diverse cultures and contexts. By labeling digital misinformation among the top global risks, the WEF underscores that tackling falsehoods is not merely a matter of debunking isolated claims but an imperative for preserving social stability, legitimate governance, and public well-being.

Addressing misinformation effectively calls for a shared commitment across multiple fronts. Individuals gain resilience through better media literacy, learning to verify before sharing. Organisations can implement systematic risk management protocols, enhancing their capacity to detect and counter harmful narratives swiftly. Governments, for their part, can enact balanced laws and cultivate public awareness without stifling free discourse. Finally, international alliances can unify resources and intelligence, mitigating global campaigns designed to sow division or chaos.

In this interconnected era, everyone bears a portion of the responsibility. With vigilance, education, regulatory foresight, and technological innovation, society can uphold a digital environment where facts stand a fighting chance against the corrosive force of misinformation.

—The author, Hersh Shah, is Chief Executive Officer, IRM India Affiliate, the world’s leading professional certifying body for Enterprise Risk Management. The views are personal.