2025-07-26 –, Track 1
In a world increasingly mediated by digital systems, algorithms have become the unseen architects of our reality. From social media feeds to search engine results, these mechanisms operate quietly in the background; curating content, shaping narratives, and reinforcing personalised viewpoints. As machine learning systems evolve, their influence deepens, subtly guiding what we see, think, and believe. While this is happening all over the world, fragile countries, such as South Africa, are especially at risk.
This talk will explore the hidden power of algorithms and AI in shaping perception and "truth", by examining how recommendation engines amplify bias, how engagement-driven design warps public discourse, and how reality itself becomes subjective under the influence of machine-curated content. Who controls these systems? What values are encoded in their logic? And as artificial intelligence grows more sophisticated, are we seeing the world as it is or only as it is being rewritten for us? Are we seeing South Africa as it is, or as the "Ghost in the Machine" portrays it.
We live in an age where unseen digital mechanisms guide our perception of the world, silently shaping what we know, believe, and value. This talk looks at the subtle yet powerful influence of algorithmic and AI-driven systems that curate the content we consume every day. Far from neutral, these systems are designed to prioritise engagement, and in doing so, they often distort reality in a way that can mislead, radicalise, or isolate people, cause real harm to themselves and ultimately society. South Africa is in a fragile state as it is, and this reality distortion often shows us not South Africa as it is, but as something else.
The talk will look at the evolution of algorithmic systems, from early algorithms like Google’s PageRank and Facebook’s EdgeRank, to today’s sophisticated machine learning systems that dynamically adapt to user behaviour. With each click, like, and share, we unknowingly teach these systems what to show us next, reinforcing biases and preferences in a self-perpetuating loop. This results in digital echo chambers where dissenting perspectives are filtered out, and personalised viewpoints are continuously reinforced.
It will examine how modern platforms use algorithmic curation to drive engagement, how recommendation engines amplify divisive content, how social media timelines are manipulated by opaque rules, and how even seemingly objective tools like search engines can present entirely different “truths” depending on the user. Case studies and real-world examples from South Africa will demonstrate the real impact these systems have on public discourse and individual worldviews in a South African context.
But the implications extend beyond mere content delivery. As generative AI advances, it now creates not only what we consume, but increasingly how we consume it, generating synthetic news, deepfakes, and even AI-generated influencers. These technologies blur the line between authentic and artificial, challenging our ability to distinguish fact from fabrication. Crucially, the talk will raise questions of accountability and control. Who designs these systems? Who sets the parameters for what should be promoted or suppressed? And what ethical frameworks govern their decisions? With minimal transparency and limited oversight, the people and organisations behind these tools wield immense power over the narratives we encounter, often without our awareness or consent.
The talk will conclude with a call to action. While the rise of AI-powered curation poses serious challenges, it also presents opportunities for reform. It will examine emerging approaches in algorithmic transparency, explainable AI, and digital literacy, all of which are tools that can help users reclaim agency and resist manipulation.
As we peer into the mechanisms behind our digital experiences, we must ask ourselves, are we still seeing the world, and South Africa as it truly is, or only as it has been shaped for us by unseen forces?
Jason Jordaan is the Principal Forensic Scientist and Founder of DFIRLABS. As a recognised polymath, he is considered by his peers internationally to be a leading specialist in the fields of digital forensics, incident response, cybercrime investigations, and cybersecurity forensic engineering. He was one of the early pioneers in digital forensics in South Africa with his interest and activities in the field beginning in the mid 1990’s. Not only does Jason lead DFIRLABS, but he remains actively involved as a practitioner in these fields and regularly testifies as an expert witness in them.
He founded DFIRLABS in 2014 after leaving the Special Investigating Unit, where he was the national head of the Cyber Forensic Laboratory. In this role, he was responsible for the development and implementation of the digital forensics capacity of the Special Investigating Unit, and in conducting digital forensics engagements on several high-profile cybercrime, fraud, and corruption cases in the South Africa public sector. Prior to joining the Special Investigating Unit in 1998, Jason served as a Detective in the South African Police Service Commercial Branch from 1992, where he conducted numerous white-collar crime investigations, with a focus on organised crime.
Jason is an active researcher, academic, trainer, advisor and assessor in the international digital forensics and cybersecurity communities. He is a Principal Instructor with the internationally renowned SANS Institute. In this capacity he teaches digital forensics around the world, including to some of the leading international law enforcement, intelligence, and miliary units such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the US Secret Service, US Special Operations Command, Scotland Yard, the UK National Crime Agency, and many others. He also has provided digital forensics and incident response training to numerous companies in the Fortune 500 list. He is also as Assistant Professor at the SANS Technology Institute. He has also taught digital forensics at the University of Cape Town, the University of Pretoria, and Rhodes University.
He currently serves on the SANS Advisory Board and on the Advisory Board of the Department of Computer Science of the University of Pretoria. He also served on the expert advisory panel for the South African Deputy Minister of Justice for cybercrime legislation and has advised the South African Police Service on the South African National Cybercrime Strategy.
Jason is an assessor for the Netherlands Register of Court Experts and is responsible for the assessing the competency of digital forensics practitioners testifying in court in the Netherlands. He is a Director of the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners of South Africa. He has previously served as a Director of the South African Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the South African Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. His digital forensics, cybersecurity, and cyberlaw research has been published in textbooks and international peer-reviewed journals, and he is a frequent speaker at professional, scientific, and technical conferences internationally. He also sits on several international and local conference advisory boards.