The Nexus Between Big Data Analytics and the Proliferation of Fake News as a Precursor to Online and Offline Criminal Activities

This paper presents a novel framework for the\r\nthorough analysis of fake news and disinformation campaigns,\r\nwhich have the potential to result in both offline and online\r\ncriminal activities. Its primary focus relies on the spread analysis\r\nof disinformation across social media and online platforms,\r\naiming to uncover the underlying dynamics and mechanisms\r\ndriving the dissemination of false information. The framework\r\nintegrates state-of-the-art Natural Language Processing (NLP)\r\ntechniques for sentiment analysis, Deep Learning (DL) algorithms\r\nfor prediction of criminal activties related to the disiformation\r\nspread and graph analysis to identify key actors and propagation\r\npathways. To address the emerging challenges of disinformation\r\nthat transcend the online realm and have tangible real-world\r\nconsequences, the framework extends its analysis to potential\r\noffline actions incited by disinformation, such as acts of violence\r\nand public unrest or the disruption of public health efforts\r\nespecially in case of pandemics. By exploring the complex interconnections between disinformation and crimes, our research\r\naims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the societal\r\nimplications of false information and provide actionable insights\r\nfor policymakers, security practitioners and the broader public.