Antagonistic foreign powers can use disinformation, misleading information and propaganda to harm Sweden. Here you will find concrete tips to improve your and Sweden’s resilience.

"Don´t be fooled" website

You are a part of Sweden’s psychological defence. If you are able recognise and deal with disinformation, misleading information and propaganda, it will be more difficult for antagonistic foreign powers to cause division. This in turn helps protect Sweden and Swedish interests. The harder it is to fool you, the stronger our open, democratic society will be.

There are a lot of different methods that can be used to create and disseminate disinformation, misleading information and propaganda to influence you. Multiple methods are often used simultaneously to achieve greater impact.

One common method involves creating stories, or narratives, which can be completely false or only partly true, but which are skewed and taken out of context in order to mislead, polarise, and divide.

Another common method involves targeting specific groups of people. This is known as targeted disinformation. A hostile third party – a threat actor – will tailor information to a particular group and then work methodically to reach out specifically to them – and only them – through social media or other channels.

Antagonistic foreign powers can use recurring stories (narratives) about Sweden. They want residents of Sweden to worry more, come into conflict with each other and feel that Sweden is a bad country to live in. A polarised society is more vulnerable, making it easier for anyone intent on harming us to achieve their objectives.

Who are they targeting?

Antagonistic foreign powers can tailor their communication activities and then target specific parts of the population. If you see something and think, “There’s something in that,” it might be because you are part of the target group – which is why it is essential to think twice.

Images and videos that evoke strong emotions

Images are a particularly compelling way to mislead someone. The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) means that manipulated images, videos and voice recordings have become more realistic in a short space of time. These images can spread rapidly when something happens.

Authentic images and videos from an incident can also sometimes be used in a different context. Even basic recordings on a mobile phone can be used to influence people. The spread of disinformation, misleading information and propaganda increases on social media when major incidents occur.

Social media is built on algorithms. These algorithms can manipulate us on a massive scale, and they control much of what we are exposed to in our feeds. They are designed to draw engagement, which can of course be used to spread both positive and negative messages alike. This means that you must be aware of how you react when you see something that makes you exhilarated, sad or angry. Equally important is to double-check sources, search for information in multiple places and not share information if you do not know its origin.

Most of us get our information from a personal selection of sources out of pure habit. When something major happens in society, most people want information immediately. In those situations, relying only on verified information is especially important.

In our digital age, with all the disinformation, misleading information and propaganda that are created and disseminated, it is important to remember that authorities only communicate verified information. Your patience may well be running thin before you get verified information. At such times, staying calm is the best you can do for yourself and for Sweden.