Abstrakt
The COVID-19 pandemic has reconfirmed an understanding that has already been recognized over the years: a systematic and well-organized disinformation campaign can threaten peoples' lives, health, and well-being. The leading information aggressors, among which the most experienced is the Kremlin, have significant knowledge and skills aimed at conducting disinformation campaigns very effectively. This chapter describes various defensive countermeasures that can be applied against disinformation, falling into four overarching categories: (1) Documenting the threat; (2) Raising awareness about the threat; (3) Repairing the weaknesses within the information system; (4) Punishing the information aggressors. These categories focus on the desired outcome of the countermeasure, rather than the actor(s) intended to implement them, so as to account for the differences among various countries in the Euro-Atlantic space. Disinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic should not be viewed as an isolated phenomenon, but rather as a campaign that builds on significant disinformation efforts by the same actors many years prior. Countering disinformation needs a more holistic approach, as it requires significantly higher devotion and determination from the West. Once the West decides to begin to effectively deal with the problem, the necessary knowledge and toolbox for action are available.