An off-the-cuff remark in India’s highest court triggered something no one had planned for: Within days, millions of young Indians were publicly calling for changes and reforms and creating impacts.
As India reflects on the media coverage during Operation Sindoor, questions remain over accountability and whether future crises will again feature recycled visuals, misidentified civilians, and narratives of fake conflicts.
A March 2026 study by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the African Digital Rights Network found that 11 African governments had collectively spent more than USD 2 billion on AI-powered surveillance systems.