Publicação
Hybrid threats and digital deception: rethinking police strategies against disinformation
| Resumo: | The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict have accelerated the evolution of disinformation into a strategic instrument of hybrid warfare, fundamentally challenging states and security institutions to safeguard informational integrity. This study examines disinformation as a transnational security threat that blurs boundaries between information operations, organised crime, and political manipulation. Employing qualitative methodology and systematic analysis of European institutional sources, the research investigates Russia’s exploitation of the infodemic as a tool of non-conventional influence designed to undermine European stability and democratic resilience. Emphasis is given to EUROPOL’s coordinating role in developing multilateral policing responses, with specific attention to Portuguese liaison officers’ contributions to intelligence sharing and disruption of disinformation networks. The study argues that law enforcement must fundamentally adapt strategic frameworks to address informational dimensions of hybrid threats and strengthen transnational cooperation. Four principal findings emerge: disinformation functions as a component of Russia’s hybrid warfare; EUROPOL provides critical coordination mechanisms; Portuguese liaison officers serve as essential mediators in transnational security architecture; and a regulatory gap exists in EUROPOL’s mandate. Conclusions propose an eight-dimensional anti-infodemic capacity-building model centred on specialised procedures, ethical training, technological innovation, institutional partnerships, and public engagement. |
|---|---|
| Autores principais: | Fernandes, Roberto Narciso Andrade |
| Assunto: | Online disinformation Infodemic Hybrid threats Digital policing EUROPOL |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Instituto Superior de Ciências Policiais e Segurança Interna |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Instituto Superior de Ciências Policiais e Segurança Interna |
| Resumo: | The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict have accelerated the evolution of disinformation into a strategic instrument of hybrid warfare, fundamentally challenging states and security institutions to safeguard informational integrity. This study examines disinformation as a transnational security threat that blurs boundaries between information operations, organised crime, and political manipulation. Employing qualitative methodology and systematic analysis of European institutional sources, the research investigates Russia’s exploitation of the infodemic as a tool of non-conventional influence designed to undermine European stability and democratic resilience. Emphasis is given to EUROPOL’s coordinating role in developing multilateral policing responses, with specific attention to Portuguese liaison officers’ contributions to intelligence sharing and disruption of disinformation networks. The study argues that law enforcement must fundamentally adapt strategic frameworks to address informational dimensions of hybrid threats and strengthen transnational cooperation. Four principal findings emerge: disinformation functions as a component of Russia’s hybrid warfare; EUROPOL provides critical coordination mechanisms; Portuguese liaison officers serve as essential mediators in transnational security architecture; and a regulatory gap exists in EUROPOL’s mandate. Conclusions propose an eight-dimensional anti-infodemic capacity-building model centred on specialised procedures, ethical training, technological innovation, institutional partnerships, and public engagement. |
|---|