India, March 15 -- Recon, Design, Build, Seed, Copy, Amplify, Control, Effect: The Disinformation Kill Chain.

MUMBAI: In the sprawling digital landscape of modern India, an invisible war rages daily. It's fought not with bullets or bombs, but with carefully crafted narratives, manipulated images, and armies of bots. As the world's largest democracy navigates increasingly complex geopolitical waters, India has become ground zero for sophisticated disinformation campaigns designed to inflame tensions and undermine democratic institutions.

These aren't random acts of misinformation but highly orchestrated, multi-phase operations that follow a strategic playbook. Analysis of recent campaigns reveals an eight-phase framework that malicious a...