Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Disinformed to death
The authoritarian playbook : how disinformers gain power
From gaslighting to the liar's dividend : disinformation tactics
Hearts are bigger than minds : why disinformation works
The new engines of disinformation : the danger of emerging technology
The land of the free : why America is particularly vulnerable to disinformation
"Stop the steal" : disinformation is destroying democracy
"Somebody is going to get killed" : disinformation is endangering public safety and national security
Trial by combat : disinformation is eroding the rule of law
We alone can fix it : proposed solutions
We hold these truths to be self-evident : a way forward

"American society is more polarized than ever before. We are strategically being pushed apart by disinformation-the deliberate spreading of lies disguised as truth-and it comes at us from all sides: opportunists on the far right, Russian misinformed social media influencers, among others. It's endangering our democracy and causing havoc in our electoral system, schools, hospitals, workplaces, and in our Capitol. Advances in technology including rapid developments in artificial intelligence threaten to make the problems even worse by amplifying false claims and manufacturing credibility. In Attack from Within, scholar and MSNBC legal expert Barbara McQuade shows us how to identify the ways disinformation is seeping into all facets of our society and how we can fight against it with practical solutions to strengthen the public, media, and truth-based politics. Disinformation is designed to evoke a strong emotional response to push us toward more extreme views, unable to find common ground with others. The false claims that led to the breathtaking attack on our Capitol in 2020 may have been only a dress rehearsal. Attack from Within shows us how to prevent it from happening again, thus preserving our country's hard-won democracy"-- Provided by publisher.