An informative guide to disinformation, manipulation, and interference

The Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia has prepared and published the manual “Disinformation, Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference. An Informative Guide to the Electoral Process”. This initiative is contingent on the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Republic of Armenia, during which a significant increase in information threats is expected.

The document aims to raise public awareness of manipulative campaigns that undermine trust in state institutions and delegitimize democratic processes. The guide presents in detail the essence of foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), which is a systematic and manipulative behavior carried out by external actors.

Unlike conventional disinformation, FIMI focuses not only on content but also on the tactics and methods used by those posing a threat to national security. The most common methods during elections include polarization of society, the use of emotional speech, identity fraud, and the creation and dissemination of manipulative materials through artificial intelligence.

The Prime Minister’s Office is the central actor in the state’s coordinated response, ensuring continuous monitoring of the information environment, interagency cooperation, and the introduction of new technological solutions. As such, the guide highlights the Stugel. An AI platform that leverages natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs) to analyze the reliability of images, videos, and texts in real time.

To increase citizens’ resilience, the guide recommends following the “Check Before You Share” principle. Please carefully check the reliability of sources, verify audiovisual materials with reverse search tools, and review alternative sources of information to form your own independent position. The full version of the guide is available on the official website of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.

You can download the informative guide in English and Armenian versions.