When disinformation becomes 'racialized'

The effort to end racially targeted online disinformation.

Disinformation is so pervasive (and can be dangerous, as the world witnessed on Jan. 6 with the attack on the Capitol by many whipped into a frenzy by online disinformation) that advocates and researchers are not only looking into ways to fight it, but are analyzing it -- seeing what types of disinformation has spread and to whom.

One type, they say, is racially targeted disinformation.

Racialized disinformation -- a term used by some of the experts who spoke with ABC News -- is "intentionally designed to mislead," DeVan Hankerson Madrigal, research manager for the Center for Democracy & Technology, told ABC News.

This form of disinformation exploits "existing forms of discrimination, targeting people based on race, gender, and identity," she added.