The Security Dimension of Gendered Disinformation: Artificial Intelligence Based Delegitimization and Silencing in the Case of Carmen Lau

Gendered disinformation appears to be a form of violence that excludes women from the public sphere. With the development of artificial intelligence technologies, gendered disinformation and its effects can quickly appear, such as character assassination and silencing. The study investigates gender-based artificial intelligence disinformation and its effects using the Carmen Lau case. Public announcements and official statements were used in the study, which utilized qualitative analysis of single cases. The findings are interpreted through the lenses of delegitimization theory by Bar-Tall. Sexist disinformation generated by artificial intelligence not only carries out character assassination. It also becomes a security problem by threatening political participation, public visibility, and digital security. The discrediting repertoire was formed by sexualization, shame, and moral stigmatization, and mechanisms such as isolation, fear, intimidation, targeting, and expulsion from the public sphere were used. As the case shows, gendered disinformation has produced hybrid violence by also affecting offline life. The use of this type of disinformation by authoritarian regimes to suppress dissenting voices erodes democratic legitimacy and increases transnational pressure. Consequently, it is necessary to establish a mechanism for preventive measures at the global level.