Misinformation today is no longer limited to obscure corners of the internet or sensational headlines that can be easily ignored. It travels through WhatsApp forwards, short videos, social media posts, and everyday conversations. According to the Global Risk Report 2025, misinformation and disinformation are among the top five immediate global threats, underscoring how deeply false information shapes public life.
For those working in the social sector, misinformation is not an abstract challenge. It directly affects access to rights, trust in institutions, and the effectiveness of development programmes. Therefore, a core concern for the social sector is understanding what misinformation is, how it spreads, and how it can be addressed.
Understanding misinformation: More than just ‘fake news’
While the most commonly used term in this regard is ‘fake news’, false information exists in different forms, each with distinct motivations and consequences.
Fake news refers to information that is completely fabricated and often designed to provoke outrage or gain attention.
Misinformation occurs when false or misleading information is shared unknowingly. For example, an unverified headline or claim is forwarded on a WhatsApp group by someone who believes it to be true. While the intent may not be malicious, the harm caused can be significant.
Disinformation, on the other hand, involves the deliberate spread of false information to influence opinions, policies, or outcomes. When actors knowingly use false claims in legal arguments, political campaigns, or organised online efforts, the goal is often to manipulate public perception or decision-making for ideological, political, or financial gain.
These distinctions matter because they help social sector practitioners identify not just what is false information, but also why it is circulating and how best to respond to it.
Misinformation disrupts social progress
Development work relies on trust-based relationships, accurate data, and clear communication. Misinformation undermines all three. When false narratives take hold, they divert attention from real issues, distort public understanding, and weaken programme outcomes.
Impedes access to welfare schemes
Misinformation has serious repercussions on how and whether people can access the rights and entitlements guaranteed by social welfare schemes. For millions in India, information about pension, ration, healthcare, housing, and employment schemes does not come from official sources. Rather, it reaches them via WhatsApp forwards, brokers, or local rumour mills, which often compromises the credibility of the information they receive.
False information includes phishing messages, inaccurate claims about government schemes, or half-truths about the documents required to access certain schemes. The consequences are serious, with people losing time, money, and personal data.
For nonprofits, this means that valuable resources are diverted away from programme delivery and towards stemming the flow of false information and rebuilding trust in welfare systems.
Amplifies false information during crises
The impact of the spread of misinformation can be particularly severe in times of crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, viral WhatsApp forwards falsely claimed that COVID-19 vaccines caused infertility, disrupted menstruation, and harmed unborn children. These rumours had no scientific basis, yet they spread rapidly, often faster than official health advisories.
Across the country, including in parts of Kashmir, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, vaccination rates among women were significantly lower. Frontline workers were forced to shift their attention from service delivery to myth-busting, countering misinformation that had travelled faster than verified health information.
Deepens gender-based inequality and injustice
Gendered misinformation has a disproportionate and deeply harmful impact on women and gender-diverse communities because it builds on existing social inequalities, stereotypes, and power structures. False narratives about sexuality, morality, and bodies often reinforce patriarchal norms that seek to control how women live, behave, and are perceived.
Similarly, misinformation targeting queer and transgender communities—such as claims that LGBTQI+ identities are unnatural or harmful—has led to stigma, social exclusion, and even violence. Baseless rumours have been used to justify harassment and attacks on transgender people, while false claims about gender identity spread fear and moral panic.
In addition to causing individual harm, such misinformation shapes public attitudes, limits access to rights and services, and silences those who are already marginalised, making gender justice and equality harder to achieve.
Why does misinformation spread so easily?
Misinformation spreads because it exploits emotion, urgency, and existing social fault lines. Messages that trigger fear, outrage, or hope are more likely to be shared without verification, and the effects of misinformation are magnified in times of crisis.
There are also clear incentives behind the spread of false information. It is sometimes politically motivated, aiming to polarise communities or shape public opinion. Other forms are driven by profit, such as scams that harvest data or money. Psychological factors also play a role as people often forward messages to protect loved ones or to feel socially connected, even when they are unsure of the facts.
The rise of AI-generated content further complicates this landscape. Deepfake videos, synthetic voices, and manipulated images make it increasingly difficult to distinguish real from fake, creating new challenges for both citizens and institutions.
Countering the spread of misinformation
Verifying information begins with pausing and asking simple questions: Who is the source? What evidence is provided? Are trusted outlets reporting the same claim? Emotional manipulation is often the first red flag.
Misinformation can also be countered with practical and accessible tools.
- Keyword searches can reveal whether a claim has already been debunked.
- Reverse image searches using Google Lens or TinEye help in identifying images shared out of context.
- Video verification tools like InVID allow users to break videos into frames and trace their origins.
- Fact-checking platforms such as Alt News, BOOM, and Factly regularly debunk India-specific misinformation.
- Google Fact Check Explorer aggregates verified claims across languages and regions.
To verify information related to schemes, check official government domains (typically ending in ‘gov.in’); avoid clicking on unsolicited links; and consult trusted local intermediaries such as ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, teachers, and panchayat members.
Nonprofits that find themselves fighting the spread of misinformation can strengthen resilience by training staff and community mobilisers in basic media literacy; appointing community verifiers; and communicating proactively in local languages through trusted channels such as community radio, posters, street plays, and WhatsApp voice notes.
Misinformation thrives on speed, silence, and confusion. But the spread of misinformation can be countered. By slowing down, asking the right questions, and equipping people with simple verification tools, actors in the social sector can reduce harm and rebuild trust.
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Know more
- Learn how you can use Google’s search functions to check facts, images, and sources.
- Read about the rise of banking scams in Rajasthan.
- Read about how an Aadhaar scam forced people to pay for welfare schemes they did not want.
