South Africa, Feb. 24 -- Insidious strategies

On Sunday, South Africa lost one of its most colourful and campaigning voices in media, Joe Latakgomo. In 1997, he told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission about a subtle but effective form of harassment under apartheid: telephone calls that appeared legitimate, sometimes claiming to come from Tanzania or Zambia (allies to the ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe), delivering false information. Publish it, and a journalist risked discredit. The tactic was designed to control narratives and punish truth-telling, a strategy as strategic as it was insidious.

Today, the mechanics have changed, but the strategy persists. Generative AI and deepfakes allow malicious actors to fabricate videos, voices, and...