ABSTRACT
Statistics are a central tool for the modern state. Without them, governments would find it almost impossible to administrate and allocate resources rationally, know the needs of the population, or shed light to urgent and crucial problems in society. However, over history they have been misused and abused by some governments to dominate strategic narrative of power. Given the fact that those in government are in most cases those who produce statistics and disseminate them, our point is that, without the necessary checks and balances rather than a tool for transparency and governance, these numbers become instruments of manipulation and oppression and, in some cases part of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns.
