Disinformation is being used by some politicians and amplified by digital platforms that do not always assume responsibility for the content they disseminate. The warning was issued in an interview with El Mundo by Ramón Salaverría, coordinator of the IBERIFIER project. The professor at the University of Navarra and researcher argues that disinformation is being deployed strategically to mobilise electorates and reinforce polarising narratives.
Despite presenting themselves as mere intermediaries, digital platforms play a decisive role in the circulation of such content, without fully accounting for the social impact of the messages they promote. Ramón Salaverría uses the example of piped water to illustrate the point: just as no one would accept a water supplier disclaiming responsibility by arguing that it merely transports water, platforms too cannot limit themselves to distributing information without ensuring minimum standards of quality and safety.
At the heart of the problem are also the algorithms, described as true “black boxes”, whose functioning remains opaque. These systems determine which content gains visibility and which is silenced, frequently privileging sensationalist messages over rigorous and contextualised information.
Disinformation, Ramón Salaverría concludes, is not a by-product of the digital ecosystem, but rather a tool deliberately used to reinforce certain narratives and serve specific objectives, contributing to the degradation of public debate and the erosion of trust in democratic institutions. Photo: El Mundo, Iñaki Porto, Arara Press
