Cambridge summit links disinformation to corruption risks

The Cambridge Disinformation Summit has opened at Cambridge Judge Business School, focusing on how misleading narratives can lead to harm and exploitation.

In his opening remarks, Professor Alan Jagolinzer, chair of the summit and Professor of Financial Accounting at Cambridge Judge Business School, described disinformation as a precursor to other forms of misconduct. He said the gathering would examine cases in which deceptive speech and cognitive manipulation create conditions for exploitation across politics, business and public life.

"In other words, I see disinformation as preparing the landscape for corruption," Jagolinzer said.

The three-day summit is examining how disinformation exploits audiences and contributes to wider systemic risks. Topics include environmental, economic and electoral integrity risks, as well as the role of online platforms and broadcast outlets in spreading harmful narratives.

Jagolinzer also highlighted the business model of major technology platforms, arguing that online services can benefit from compulsive audience behaviour. He placed that issue alongside broader questions of responsibility and oversight.

"If we believe these platforms are addictive, then society has long upheld that profiteering off human addiction should be considered among the most corrupt business practices. If this is the correct framing, then tech platforms should not, in my opinion, escape the same level of scrutiny and accountability as pushers who peddle tobacco or opiates," he said.

Broader Risks

The summit agenda also examines how disinformation interacts with concentrated control of communication channels. Panels are set to discuss societal, governmental, and accountability risks associated with billionaire ownership of broadcast and online platforms.

This framing places the event within a wider debate over who controls the infrastructure through which information travels and how ownership structures affect public trust. It also reflects growing concern among researchers and policymakers that false or misleading narratives do not operate in isolation, but can shape behaviour in ways that carry economic, political and social consequences.

By focusing on downstream harm, the summit shifts attention from false claims alone to the actions that may follow. This approach treats disinformation less as a standalone communications problem and more as part of a chain that can end in exploitation, corruption or other forms of damage.

The event is the third Cambridge Disinformation Summit, hosted by Cambridge Judge Business School. Its agenda spans social media incentives, public accountability, political integrity and the effects of concentrated media ownership on democratic systems.

Jagolinzer's remarks set a firm tone by linking misleading narratives to material outcomes rather than viewing them only through the lens of speech.