ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the Argentine context during the pandemic to understand the use of disinformation by official sources. Government communication prioritised information from geopolitical allies, such as Russia and China, rather than scientific evidence on Covid-19 vaccines. The intensification of state-sponsored disinformation was possible because Argentina has no policies of active transparency. Instead of providing the trustworthy information that the emergency required, government communication accelerated a post-truth spiral by relativising information that citizens and NGOs shared on social media from alternative sources. The pandemic highlights the problems of lack of transparency of the state, coupled with a disinformation strategy supported by state-dependent media and militant scientific organisations. Contrary to the general assumption that platforms threaten democracy, this case shows that civic dialogue on social media can help verify state disinformation and activate civic accountability in contexts with restrictions on the freedom of expression.
