- February 14, 2026
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- February 14, 2026
Information integrity is a cornerstone of democratic resilience. Open societies depend on trust, fact-based debate, and transparent communication – foundations that are increasingly challenged by monetized forms of manipulation exploiting digital information spaces.
Against this backdrop, Aspen Institute Germany, in partnership with Amerikahaus Munich and Der Tagesspiegel, hosted a panel discussion on February 14, 2026, during the Munich Security Conference titled “Weapons of Mass Persuasion: Evaluating the Growth of Influence-for-Hire Networks in Hybrid Warfare.” The discussion examined how economically incentivized disinformation ecosystems – ranging from bot networks and orchestrated narratives to paid influencer campaigns – amplify polarization, erode public trust, and function as scalable instruments of hybrid influence.
The panel featured members of the Aspen Germany #InfluencersAgainstDisinfo 2025 cohort—Johana Bázlerová, Mickaël Brunhammer, and Anastasiia Mozghova—alongside Anja Wehler-Schoeck (Member of the Editorial Board / International Editor, Der Tagesspiegel), André Loesekrug-Pietri (Chairman, JEDI – Joint European Disruptive Initiative), and Christian Heldt (Director for Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy, German Federal Foreign Office). The discussion explored how platform business models, geopolitical interests, and societal dynamics intersect and what policy and civic responses are required. A key takeaway was that the same digital infrastructures that enable manipulation at scale also provide tools to strengthen democratic discourse. Protecting open societies from “weapons of mass persuasion” requires coordinated strategies that enhance transparency, clarify accountability, and build societal resilience while preserving the openness and innovative potential of digital spaces.
