Sweden Revives Wartime Pamphlet to Combat Modern Crises and Digital Threats

Sweden has updated its wartime-era pamphlet, In Case of Crisis or War, to address modern crises in the digital age.

Originally distributed during World War II, the booklet, reissued by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), warns of daily online disinformation campaigns designed to "sow mistrust and erode our will to defend ourselves."

To build psychological resilience, the Swedish government advises citizens to share information only from reliable sources, such as official postings.

It also emphasises digital security measures, including creating strong passwords, avoiding suspicious email links, installing updates, and regularly backing up important data to external drives or cloud services.

First released in 1940, the booklet has been updated five times, most recently in 2018, in response to Russian aggression and to revive Sweden's "dormant" civil defence.