A number of media reports have appeared in recent days concerning the government's Counter Disinformation Unit.
Here you can read the facts about how it operates and what it does and does not do. It also includes information on the Rapid Response Unit, which was closed in summer 2022.
1. Fact Sheet on the Counter-Disinformation Unit
What is mis/disinformation?
The UK government defines disinformation as the deliberate creation and spreading of false and/or manipulated information that is intended to deceive and mislead people, either for the purposes of causing harm, or for political, personal or financial gain. Misinformation is the inadvertent spread of false information.
Misinformation and disinformation are not new. But social media and new technologies have made it easier, quicker and cheaper than ever before for both domestic and foreign malign actors to spread disinformation to huge audiences and specific targeted groups.
What is the Counter Disinformation Unit?
The Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU) was first set up within the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2019 and it has since responded to periods of acute disinformation risk including Covid-19.
Following Machinery of Government changes in February this year, the unit sits with the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The team works with partners across government, civil society and in tandem with the regulatory approach through the Online Safety Bill and DSIT's Media Literacy Strategy.
Its purpose is to understand disinformation narratives and attempts to artificially manipulate the information environment to ensure that the government understands the scope and reach of harmful mis and disinformation and can take appropriate action. Such action can include posting a response on social media rebutting the claim, awareness raising campaigns to promote the facts, and working with social media companies to encourage them to promote authoritative sources of information and consistently enforce their terms of service.
What areas does the CDU work across?
The CDU focuses on content targeted at UK audiences across which poses a risk to:
- Public health,
- Public safety, or
- National security.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, this has seen the CDU counter disinformation threats that have suggested bleach is an effective way to cure COVID-19 and that 5G masts should be burned down to prevent the spread of the virus. It is currently focused on disinformation related to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, and has already countered Russian disinformation about Ukraine including denials of mass casualty events - including the Bucha massacre and the bombing of the maternity hospital in Mariupol.
How does the CDU conduct its monitoring work?
The CDU uses publicly available data, including material shared on social media platforms, to develop an understanding of disinformation narratives and trends. It does not, and has never, monitored individuals and all data is anonymised wherever possible.
See the CDU Privacy Notice for
