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Hazard · Security

Disinformation

Disinformation is the deliberate spread of false content to deceive and undermine trust in institutions and media. The EU External Action Service counted around 540 incidents of foreign information manipulation in 2025 – a large portion state-controlled, foremost by Russia. Check the source, date, and intent of information before believing or sharing it.

Disinformation is the deliberate, often coordinated spread of false or misleading content intended to deceive, divide, or undermine trust in institutions and media. Experts call it foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). Typical tools are fake or cloned news sites, manipulated screenshots of real media, coordinated account networks, and increasingly AI-generated texts, voices, and images. Unlike an honest mistake (misinformation), disinformation is intentional.

The scale is measurable: the EU External Action Service (EEAS) counted around 540 incidents of foreign information manipulation in 2025 across over 90 countries, mobilized through roughly 10,500 channels; about 35 percent could be attributed to states (Russia 29 percent, China 6 percent), roughly one quarter used AI tools. A central and officially documented method is the "Doppelgänger" campaign: cloning established media outlets like Der Spiegel, Le Point, or Die Welt on dozens to hundreds of mirror sites, operated by EU-sanctioned Russian firms Social Design Agency and Structura.

Switzerland is also in the crosshairs: the Swiss Intelligence Service classifies Russia as the greatest threat to Europe; hybrid conflict including disinformation directly affects Switzerland. In 2025, Russia's state broadcaster RT-Deutsch published roughly one quarter more stories about Switzerland, often with a narrative of alleged decline. The goal is rarely that you believe a single lie – it is the gradual erosion of trust. The most effective protection is not technology, but a habit: check the source, date, and intent of information before believing or sharing it.

Risk rating

Risk · High (level 4 of 5)

Likelihood: High · Impact: Medium → Overall risk: High.

Risk matrix: likelihood runs vertically (top = high), impact runs horizontally (right = high). The highlighted cell shows this hazard's rating.
Impact
Low Medium High
High This hazard's rating
Medium
Low

Legend: Low (green) · Medium (yellow) · High (red). Overall risk is likelihood multiplied by impact.

Deliberately spread false information aims to divide and undermine trust in institutions and media. The best protection is a habit: check the source, date, and intent before believing or sharing something.

Immediate measures

  • Pause before sharing a disturbing piece of information
  • Check the source: who is saying this, how long has the site existed, is it a simple copy of a real media outlet?
  • Verify the claim against a second, independent, and official source

Warning signs

  • Highly emotional, outrageous messages pushing immediate sharing
  • Known media outlets are "cited," but the link leads to an unfamiliar or slightly altered domain
  • Screenshots of alleged articles that cannot be found on the real media site
  • Many nearly identical accounts spreading the same content at the same time (coordinated behavior)
  • Perfect-looking but source-less images, voices, or videos (possible AI forgery)

Before · During · After

Before

  • Know a few reliable sources (authorities, established media) and access them directly
  • Learn to recognize cloned sites and fake screenshots (wrong domains, typos)
  • Know official fact-checking offers and the authorities' warning and reporting channels
  • Raise awareness among family and older relatives about disinformation and AI-generated fakes

During

  • Lateral reading: leave the site and verify the claim across other sources instead of staying on the page
  • Check images and videos with reverse image search to verify origin and date
  • Watch for typical patterns: extreme emotion, time pressure, alleged insiders, round numbers without evidence
  • Do not spread unsubstantiated claims – even as a "warning"

After

  • Deliberately correct a false story once you believe it, even in your own circle
  • Report fake content and fake accounts to the platform and – for Switzerland-related matters – to authorities
  • Reconsider your own sources: where did the information come from and who benefited?

This really happened

  1. 2023 Paris Bedbug Panic

    In autumn 2023, panic spread about bedbugs in Paris; even Swiss media like 20 minutes initially reported it dramatically (October 3, 2023) and classified it on March 15, 2024 as a Russian propaganda campaign. Amplification and falsification by the pro-Russian network "Portal Kombat" (according to the French authority VIGINUM, at least 193 websites) are documented, which circulated fake screenshots of real French media linking bedbugs to the Ukraine conflict. However, the actual increase itself was not Russian in origin: according to the French authority Anses, from 2017 to 2022 more than 10 percent of households were affected – the cause was travel traffic and insecticide resistance.

    Source

  2. 2024 "Doppelgänger": Cloned Media

    The Russian "Doppelgänger" campaign clones established news sites like Der Spiegel, Le Point, and Die Welt and spreads fake articles across dozens to hundreds of mirror sites. It is run by EU-sanctioned Russian companies Social Design Agency and Structura. The US Department of Justice seized 32 corresponding internet domains on September 4, 2024; the EU has listed both companies on its sanctions list since 2023.

    Source

  3. 2025 Intelligence Service: Russia as Greatest Threat

    The Swiss Intelligence Service classifies Russia in its 2025 situation report as the greatest and most acute threat to Europe; hybrid warfare including disinformation directly affects Switzerland. In 2025, Russia's state broadcaster RT-Deutsch published roughly one quarter more stories about Switzerland, often with a narrative of alleged decline. "Those who weaken trust in institutions weaken a country's resilience."

    Source

Frequently asked questions

Who is responsible for organized disinformation in Europe?

Primarily state and state-aligned actors. In 2025, about 35 percent of incidents recorded by the EU External Action Service could be attributed to states, mainly Russia (29 percent) and China (6 percent). Officially documented structures are the Russian companies Social Design Agency and Structura behind the "Doppelgänger" cloning campaign, and the "Portal Kombat" network, which the French authority VIGINUM has documented with at least 193 websites.

Is Switzerland affected by disinformation?

Yes. The Swiss Intelligence Service classifies Russia as the greatest threat to Europe; hybrid influence including disinformation directly affects Switzerland. In 2025, Russia's state broadcaster RT-Deutsch published roughly one quarter more stories about Switzerland, often with a narrative of alleged decline. The goal is the gradual erosion of trust in authorities and media.

Was the Paris bedbug panic entirely fabricated?

No – and this distinction matters. The actual increase was real: according to the French authority Anses, from 2017 to 2022 more than 10 percent of households were affected by bedbugs, caused by travel traffic and insecticide resistance. What is documented is not the origin of this increase, but Russian amplification and falsification: the "Portal Kombat" network spread fake screenshots of real media linking bedbugs to the Ukraine conflict.

Is disinformation created using artificial intelligence?

Increasingly. About one quarter of incidents recorded by the EU External Action Service in 2025 used AI tools, especially for voices, images, or entire fake media content. Perfect-looking but source-less images, voices, or videos are a warning sign. When in doubt, verify the source – for images, use reverse image search.

Official sources