Could labeling synthetic political ads help safeguard elections?
- In May 2024, ahead of the South African general elections, the then-leading opposition party broadcast and shared an advertisement featuring a computer generated version of a South African flag burning.
- Due to the burning flag, the video sparked public backlash, condemnation from the South African president, and fueled fear of synthetic content’s impact on elections.
- Direct disclosure by the video’s creator could have helped mitigate harm and ensured the public’s attention was placed on the political message the opposition party was attempting to convey via the ad — that “life would only get worse” under the ruling party – instead of the controversial flag depiction.
This is Code for Africa’s case submission as a supporter of PAI’s Synthetic Media Framework. Explore the other case studies