Misinformation Campaign

Extracted Attributes

Misinformation

Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. Whereas misinformation can exist with or without specific malicious intent, disinformation is deliberately deceptive and intentionally propagated. Misinformation is typically spread unintentionally, mostly caused by a lack of knowledge, an error, or simply a misunderstanding, which contrasts with disinformation. Misinformation can include inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or false information as well as selective or half-truths. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, X, etc., are designed in ways that enable information, including misinformation, to be posted and shared far more quickly than through other communication mediums. In January 2024, the World Economic Forum identified misinformation and disinformation, propagated by both internal and external interests, to "widen societal and political divides" as the most severe global risks in the short term. The reason is that misinformation can influence people's beliefs about communities, politics, medicine, and more. Research shows that several factors, including cognitive biases, emotional responses, social dynamics, and media literacy levels, can influence susceptibility to misinformation. Policies and legal measures created to address misinformation and disinformation, in some contexts, can be applied to restrict journalistic work and limit political expression, as reported by UNESCO and other monitoring organizations. In some countries, anti-misinformation laws and policies have been used to reduce media freedom, which has even resulted in the imprisonment of journalists and editors. The countries ranked the worst for media freedom in 2025 are, in this order, Eritrea, North Korea, China, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Russia, Egypt, Myanmar, Djibouti, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cuba, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Venezuela, Turkey and Pakistan. The term came into wider recognition during the mid-1990s through the early 2020s, when its effects on public ideological influence began to be investigated. However, misinformation campaigns have existed for hundreds of years.

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• Faraday Future says 'misinformation campaign' hurt fundraising efforts

  Oops, something went wrong # Yahoo Finance ### U.S. markets closed Reuters # Faraday Future says 'misinformation campaign' hurt fundraising efforts Sept 22 (Reuters) - Faraday Future Intelligent Electric said on Thursday a "misinformation campaign" has affected its fundraising efforts as the startup looks to start production of its FF 91 luxury electric car. "Threats that began with lawsuits have escalated to threats of physical violence and even death threats," the company said, adding it was working with law enforcement to investigate. Late last month, some Faraday Future employees wrote to the board and shareholders seeking the removal of executive chairperson Susan Swenson, suspecting she had organized attempts to "push the company into bankruptcy and restructuring". [...] The Los Angeles, California-based company said a law firm hired to conduct a "thorough independent external investigation" found the "allegations" were without merit. Earlier this week, FF Top Holding - a shareholder with 36% voting rights in the company - filed a lawsuit against the startup seeking the removal of Swenson and director Brian Krolicki. FF Top did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Amid cooling capital market conditions, Faraday Future has faced hurdles to raise funds required to start production of its car at its Hanford facility in California. [...] The electric-vehicle startup said in August it was in talks with investors for "significant additional near-term funding" after raising $52 million in committed funding with a financing facility to raise up to $600 million. The company has also been battling high costs and supply-chain disruptions that have delayed the production of FF 91 to the fourth quarter of 2022. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) ## Recommended Stories ## More News

• Beyond Meat rebrands, citing 'misinformation campaign'

  The name change is a part of the company's larger goal of "countering [the] misinformation campaign" surrounding plant-based protein and plant ingredients. During Beyond's Q3 2025 earnings call, Brown told investors, "We continue to address misinformation surrounding our plant-based meats. As many of you are aware, as industrial livestock and pharmaceutical interests rally around scare tactics and misinformation to confuse consumers, we are driving the health profile of our products to greater heights so as to reduce the disingenuous to the absurd." "There is a very significant set of misinformation out there that slowly, I think, we are making progress toward and helping to erode," he continued. ## The rise and fall of Beyond Meat Ethan Brown founded Beyond (BYND) back in 2009. [...] The so-called smear campaign worked on consumers, and by Q3 2025, the company said its net revenues had decreased by 13.3% year-over-year. Stocks have been trading below $1 since the start of 2026. []( Beyond Meat has rebranded as Beyond The Plant Protein Co. in an effort to impact customer sentiment.Image source: Beyond Meat But Beyond isn't going down without a fight. At the Natural Products West Expo, Brown told the AP he feels confident that Beyond will be able to weather this misinformation storm. Plant-based meat and protein alternatives will be a "much more dominant choice" in the next couple decades, he said, but for now brands like Beyond will just have to navigate a "period of confusion." "It's just not the moment for plant-based meats right now," Brown told the AP. [...] In January, Beyond launched the first of these disruptive innovations — a sparkling protein drink called Beyond Immerse. A month later, it released four additional flavors, each of which comes in a 10-gram and 20-gram protein option. Other vegan food companies that have been affected by similar "misinformation campaigns" have followed suit, pivoting away from their core products to better meet consumer demand. ### These companies include:

• What Is a Disinformation Campaign? | CrowdStrike

  The use of misinformation can substantially sway public opinion, influencing democracy or public policy. This is a real threat in the context of elections, where disinformation can manipulate voter perceptions. Beyond politics, disinformation campaigns can also pose risks to public health and safety, especially when they spread false information about health crises. ### Role of social media and technology Social media and technology have played a pivotal role in the spread of disinformation. Because social media platforms can reach vast audiences, they can also be exploited to amplify false narratives. Perpetrators of disinformation take advantage of social media platform algorithms that target content for specific groups, thereby making their spread of disinformation more efficient. [...] Creating false narratives: Crafting and spreading stories that are grossly distorted or even entirely false. Emotional manipulation: Leveraging content that triggers strong emotions — like fear or anger — to increase engagement and dissemination. Exploiting divisions: Sowing discord and confusion by intensifying existing societal or political divisions. ### Targets and victims Disinformation campaigns often take aim at governments, seeking to undermine confidence in public institutions to influence policy making. They also target corporations by attempting to tarnish business reputations and erode consumer trust. Of course, disinformation campaigns may also target individuals, aiming to influence personal beliefs and behaviors with misleading information. [...] Leverage threat intelligence to stay informed about the latest disinformation tactics, especially as disinformation campaigns are continually evolving. Implement regular audits, threat monitoring, and system updates to guard against disinformation-based attacks. Develop systems with information integrity in mind, ensuring they are designed to resist manipulation and false information. Educate users by creating awareness programs about the risks and signs of disinformation. Disinformation campaigns are adversarial tactics that have been used for centuries, but they have taken on a new significance in our modern, globally interconnected world. Education and awareness — coupled with robust cybersecurity tools — are critical to fighting the battle against disinformation.

• STAAR Surgical accuses activist Broadwood of ’misinformation campaign’

  Title: STAAR Surgical accuses activist Broadwood of ’misinformation campaign’ Updated Dec 11, 2025, 08:54 PM. Investing.com -- The contested $1.6 billion merger of STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ:STAA) and Alcon AG (NYSE:ALC) escalated again today as the December 19 shareholder vote approaches. STAAR launched a blistering counter-attack against activist shareholder Broadwood Partners, which holds a 30.2% stake, accusing it of manufacturing a "misinformation campaign" regarding a supposed superior bidder during the now passed "go-shop" period. The go-shop period, amended into the deal amid rampant shareholder opposition, allowed STAAR to solicit interest from potential buyers. Earlier in the week, Broadwood criticized STAAR for what it called a "perfunctory" go-shop process. The hedge fund specifically criticized standstill agreements included in the NDAs, saying that "a credible buyer with the capital, industry expertise, and strong interest in acquiring STAAR at a price higher than the Alcon bid that was told it had to sign a multi-year standstill to be granted access to diligence materials." Broadwood concluded that this demand was made to ward off the firm. STAAR responded, saying it believes that private equity firm FountainVest was the party Broadwood had touted as the potential buyer. * FountainVest contacted STAAR on Day 21 of 30 of the go-shop period. STAAR CEO Stephen Farrell stated the activist is "twisting facts" and attempting to derail the process, asserting that the now raised $30.75 per share deal, a 74% premium to STAAR’s 90-day VWAP, offers stockholders "certain and immediate value" amid continued challenges in the China market. The company also offered questions to investors, asking how Broadwood knew about the process, and suggesting that the firm was conspiring with other parties to delay the Alcon deal. "This is just another example of the misinformation campaign being conducted by Broadwood," said Farrell, urging investors to vote for the deal. Broadwood responded shortly after in a statement made to Investing.com, saying, "Broadwood only learned of the private equity firm’s genuine interest in acquiring STAAR after the Company attempted to thwart their ability to provide a superior offer for shareholders. It is disheartening to us that the Company is casting wild and false accusations in service of their misbegotten, but favored, deal.".

• Facebook Removes Russian Vaccine Misinformation Campaign - Business Insider

  Facebook's July CIB report separates the network's activities into two phases with a five-month break of inactivity in between. Russia is still the world's largest producer of online disinformation, the company reported in May. While the first wave of posts spread misinformation about the AstraZeneca vaccine, the second operation primarily targeted US audiences, posting false claims that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine had a much higher "casualty rate" than other vaccines. Facebook said the campaign "functioned as a disinformation laundromat" and enlisted influencers with existing audiences on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. It also posted articles and petitions on Medium, Reddit, and Change.org. [...] Renee DiResta, a research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory told Insider that Facebook took action on these accounts not because of the substance of the content, but because of "inauthentic activity." "This did not come down solely for being anti-vaccine content. This came down because it was a manipulation campaign," she told Insider. DiResta said that the accounts also used "astroturfing," which involves fake accounts posting comments to create an impression of a widespread opinion on a topic. She added that the network's first disinformation campaign came at a time when state media accounts in Russia to China were promoting their country's vaccine while amplifying negative stories about other vaccines. [...] Fazze, a UK-registered marketing firm, sent emails to influencers in order to recruit them for the campaign, according to the report. Fazze is now banned from the platform — however, it is still unknown who hired the company. Ben Nimmo, Facebook's Global IO Threat Intelligence Lead, wrote that the cross-platform nature of the campaign makes it "challenging for any one platform to see the full picture" and demonstrates "why a whole-of-society response to such disinformation campaigns is critical." He highlighted that Facebook's removal of the operation was possible due to German and French influencers who reported Fazze's outreach, as well as the work of international journalists.