How Malign Information Harms Humanitarian Workers

Cyberbullying, fake news and malign information campaigns are concepts that exist in a virtual space - but can cause real-world harm. Their impact in conflict and post-conflict contexts is particularly severe, with civil society activists acutely vulnerable.

Disinformation in armed conflict is a powerful tool when directed against humanitarian organisations providing relief to civilians or support to local groups delivering vital services.

These misrepresentations can put individuals and groups in harm’s way by putting the humanitarian operations and staff at risk, tarnishing their reputations and at times disrupting access to services. Perpetrators can use disinformation to target any vector of a person’s identity to disgrace and degrade either them or their communities.

The Syrian context provides a case in point of an organised smear campaign against humanitarian workers. Founded in 2013, the Syria Civil Defence (The White Helmets) operated in opposition-held areas to save civilian lives and help communities recover from the impact of the war. 

The organisation saved more than 128,000 people and lost over 300 volunteers, but was targeted by the Russians in a major campaign that cost them dearly, both on organisational and personal levels. 

A vast propaganda operation pushed a stream of stories that the organisation was faking evidence of atrocities, working towards regime change and in league with jihadists. Its co-founder, former British Army officer James Le Mesurier, was besieged by allegations that he was a spy, and even accused of running an organ harvesting network.

According to the BBC, his wife said he was so worried about the allegations against him that he feared after the war he would never be able to work again. It was against this backdrop that Le Mesurier took his own life in 2019.

His case received international coverage, but so many other individuals do not. 

Lebanese journalist Dima Sadek, for instance, has been persistently subjected to a concerted smear campaign to discredit her, spilling over into death threats that have forced her to limit her movements. Digital threat can so often translate into real-world harm.

In the ongoing conflict in Gaza, disinformation has also been directed at humanitarian workers, not least in the case of UNRWA. The UN agency, which supplies much of the services for Palestinians in Gaza, has long faced misinformation about its staff and operations. This has intensified since the war in Gaza began on October 7. Now at the forefront of delivering essential services in Gaza, more than 250 UNRWA employees have been killed in the violence.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told the UN last October that the agency faced huge pressure, with senior Israeli officials describing destroying UNRWA as a war goal and attempts to designate it as a terrorist organisation. 

He stressed that “we must reject attempts to tarnish UNRWA’s reputation and end its operations. These efforts do not only threaten Palestine refugees. They threaten the multilateral system. They threaten a future political solution”.

Governments also act to put pressure on an often critical civil society. In Georgia, the Foreign Agent’s law has forced NGOs and media outlets that receive international funding to register and be formally categorised as “agents of foreign influence”. Critics accuse the government of following the lead of autocracies such as Russia in an attempt to silence critical voices; there are fears that the demonisation of civil society could also have real-life repercussions.

And there is a clear gender aspect to this disinformation, including the wide use of gendered stereotypes, hyper-sexualisation and political targeting to shame and discredit. This weaponisation is a form of gender-based violence, aimed at deterring women from participating in the public sphere. 

So-called kompromat – spreading fake or real content, most often involving sex or pornography – is a tactic widely used to silence and intimidate. Azerbaijan notoriously used this tactic to silence female critics, including prominent journalists and even the female relatives of activists.

Social media is the perfect tool for amplifying such damaging content and directly impacts the public sphere as a safe space for democratic participation. 

Individuals and groups continue to use these platforms to propagate hate speech, coercively dominate public discourse and silence popular voices, encouraged by absolute impunity. In the context of conflict, the impact is real. 

NGOs play a key part in supporting vulnerable groups during times of conflict, not least collecting evidence that could be used to hold the powerful accountable. This makes them a further target; and disrupting their work also causes extra harm to communities under pressure in war. 

Propagandists, malign actors and useful idiots alike must not be allowed to exploit wild conspiracy theories online that risk spilling over to create real-life harm. Building informational resilience and supporting ethical, professional journalism are key to building the trust that civil society relies on to be effective.