Information as a weapon of mass disruption:

from information disorder to cognitive warfare

Resumo

The aim of this article is to understand how the information disorder influences and sets the stage for using the information as a weapon. It claims that bearing in mind the means, the message, and the audience, information can be utilized as a weapon of mass disruption. The paper examines the chaotic environment that surrounds the informational sphere, the information disorder. It analyses why it is possible to assert that information is a weapon of mass disruption, and it presents definitions to support the analysis, beginning with the meaning of disruption and conceptualizing the term “weapons of mass disruption”. The paper brings another concept that has evolved recently, the “Cognitive Warfare”. The essay states that information disorder background supports and provides the necessary conditions to the use of information as a weapon of mass disruption. At the same time, this weaponization itself feeds back and boosts disorder, in a vicious cycle that represents a direct threat to global security. It concludes that when introduced into a disordered world fueled by emerging technology and social media, information may cause harsh damage in a culture or government by exploring manipulation and the vulnerabilities and cognitive biases of the human brain.Keywords: Information Disorder; Cognitive Warfare; Mass Disruption.