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International Law and the Challenge of Disinformation
A Patchwork of Rights and Obligations
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From Russia's fabricated genocide claims justifying its invasion of Ukraine to coordinated campaigns disrupting elections on every continent, disinformation has become a strategic instrument threatening international peace, stability and fundamental rights. But does public international law possess the tools to respond?
This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of how international law governs contemporary disinformation. Building on the traditional 'propaganda paradigm', it systematically examines four legal frameworks â addressing subversive, defamatory, terrorist and discriminatory speech â and evaluates their applicability to technology-enabled manipulation. Through an interdisciplinary approach integrating insights from cognitive science, communications and technology studies, it reveals a patchwork of rights and obligations offering significant yet outdated responses. The analysis identifies fundamental misalignments between analogue-era doctrines and contemporary sociotechnological realities, and proposes concrete paradigmatic adaptations to bridge this gap.
This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of how international law governs contemporary disinformation. Building on the traditional 'propaganda paradigm', it systematically examines four legal frameworks â addressing subversive, defamatory, terrorist and discriminatory speech â and evaluates their applicability to technology-enabled manipulation. Through an interdisciplinary approach integrating insights from cognitive science, communications and technology studies, it reveals a patchwork of rights and obligations offering significant yet outdated responses. The analysis identifies fundamental misalignments between analogue-era doctrines and contemporary sociotechnological realities, and proposes concrete paradigmatic adaptations to bridge this gap.
Anna Smulders, Ph.D. (1994) works as Senior Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Justice and Security in the Netherlands. She completed her monograph in 2025, and has published on international sanctions, freedom of expression and media regulation.
Scholars, postgraduate students and practitioners in public international law, human rights law, international security and security governance, as well as policymakers and researchers in disinformation studies, communications and digital regulation.