#FactCheck - AI-Generated Clip of Lion Carrying Woman Shared as Real Incident

Introduction

In July 2025, the Digital Defence Report prepared by Microsoft raised an alarm that India is part of the top target countries in AI-powered nation-state cyberattacks with malicious agents automating phishing, creating convincing deepfakes, and influencing opinion with the help of generative AI (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025). Most of the attention in the world has continued to be on the United States and Europe, but Asia-Pacific and especially India have become a major target in terms of AI-based cyber activities. This blog discusses the role of AI in espionage, redefining the threat environment of India, the reaction of the government, and what India can learn by looking at the example of cyber giants worldwide.

Understanding AI-Powered Cyber Espionage

Conventional cyber-espionage intends to hack systems, steal information or bring down networks. With the emergence of generative AI, these strategies have changed completely. It is now possible to automate reconnaissance, create fake voices and videos of authorities and create highly advanced phishing campaigns which can pass off as genuine even to a trained expert. According to the report made by Microsoft, AI is being used by state-sponsored groups to expand their activities and increase accuracy in victims (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025). Based on SQ Magazine, almost 42 percent of state-based cyber campaigns in 2025 had AIs like adaptive malware or intelligent vulnerability scanners (SQ Magazine, 2025).

AI is altering the power dynamic of cyberspace. The tools previously needing significant technical expertise or substantial investments have become ubiquitous, and smaller countries can conduct sophisticated cyber operations as well as non-state actors. The outcome is the speeding up of the arms race with AI serving as the weapon and the armour.

India’s Exposure and Response 

The weakness of the threat landscape lies in the growing online infrastructure and geopolitical location. The attack surface has expanded the magnitude of hundreds of millions of citizens with the integration of platforms like DigiLocker and CoWIN. Financial institutions, government portals and defence networks are increasingly becoming targets of cyber attacks that are more sophisticated. Faking videos of prominent figures, phishing letters with the official templates, and manipulation of the social media are currently all being a part of disinformation campaigns (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025).

According to the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), the India Cyber Threat Report 2025 reported that attacks using AI are growing exponentially, particularly in the shape of malicious behaviour and social engineering (DSCI, 2025). The nodal cyber-response agency of India, CERT-In, has made several warnings regarding scams related to AI and AI-generated fake content that is aimed at stealing personal information or deceiving the population. Meanwhile, enforcement and red-teaming actions have been intensified, but the communication between central agencies and state police and the private platforms is not even. There is also an acute shortage of cybersecurity talents in India, as less than 20 percent of cyber defence jobs are occupied by qualified specialists (DSCI, 2025).

Government and Policy Evolution

The government response to AI-enabled threats is taking three forms, namely regulation, institutional enhancing, and capacity building. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 saw a major move in defining digital responsibility (Government of India, 2023). Nonetheless, threats that involve AI-specific issues like data poisoning, model manipulation, or automated disinformation remain grey areas. The following National Cybersecurity Strategy will attempt to remedy them by establishing AI-government guidelines and responsibility standards to major sectors.

At the institutional level, the efforts of such organisations as the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and the Defence Cyber Agency are also being incorporated into their processes with the help of AI-based monitoring. There is also an emerging public-private initiative. As an example, the CyberPeace Foundation and national universities have signed a memorandum of understanding that currently facilitates the specialised training in AI-driven threat analysis and digital forensics (Times of India, August 2025). Even after these positive indications, India does not have any cohesive system of reporting cases of AI. The publication on arXiv in September 2025 underlines the importance of the fact that legal approaches to AI-failure reporting need to be developed by countries to approach AI-initiated failures in such fields as national security with accountability (arXiv, 2025).

Global Implications and Lessons for India

Major economies all over the world are increasing rapidly to integrate AI innovation with cybersecurity preparedness. The United States and United Kingdom are spending big on AI-enhanced military systems, performing machine learning in security operations hubs and organising AI-based “red team” exercises (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025). Japan is testing cross-ministry threat-sharing platforms that utilise AI analytics and real-time decision-making (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025).

Four lessons can be distinguished as far as India is concerned.

• To begin with, the cyber defence should shift to proactive intelligence in place of reactive investigation. It is not only possible to detect the adversary behaviour after the attacks, but to simulate them in advance using AI.
• Second, teamwork is essential. The issue of cybersecurity cannot be entrusted to government enforcement. The private sector that maintains the majority of the digital infrastructure in India must be actively involved in providing information and knowledge.
• Third, there is the issue of AI sovereignty. Building or hosting its own defensive AI tools in India will diminish dependence on foreign vendors, and minimise the possible vulnerabilities of the supply-chain.
• Lastly, the initial defence is digital literacy. The citizens should be trained on how to detect deepfakes, phishing, and other manipulated information. The importance of creating human awareness cannot be underestimated as much as technical defences (SQ Magazine, 2025).

Conclusion 

AI has altered the reasoning behind cyber warfare. There are quicker attacks, more difficult to trace and scalable as never before. In the case of India, it is no longer about developing better firewalls but rather the ability to develop anticipatory intelligence to counter AI-powered threats. This requires a national policy that incorporates technology, policy and education.

India can transform its vulnerability to strength with the sustained investment, ethical AI governance, and healthy cooperation between the government and the business sector. The following step in cybersecurity does not concern who possesses more firewalls than the other but aims to learn and adjust more quickly and successfully in a world where machines already belong to the battlefield (Microsoft Digital Defence Report, 2025).

References:

• Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2025
• India Cyber Threat Report 2025, DSCI 
• Lucknow based organisations to help strengthen cybercrime research training policy ecosystem 
• AI Cyber Attacks Statistics 2025: How Attacks, Deepfakes & Ransomware Have Escalated, SQ Magazine 
• Incorporating AI Incident Reporting into Telecommunications Law and Policy: Insights from India. ‍
• The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

Introduction

The rise of misinformation, disinformation, and synthetic media content on the internet and social media platforms has raised serious concerns, emphasizing the need for responsible use of social media to maintain information accuracy and combat misinformation incidents. With online misinformation rampant all over the world, the World Economic Forum's 2024 Global Risk Report, notably ranks India amongst the highest in terms of risk of mis/disinformation. 

The widespread online misinformation on social media platforms necessitates a joint effort between tech/social media platforms and the government to counter such incidents. The Indian government is actively seeking to collaborate with tech/social media platforms to foster a safe and trustworthy digital environment and to also ensure compliance with intermediary rules and regulations. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has used ‘extraordinary powers’ to block certain YouTube channels, X (Twitter) & Facebook accounts, allegedly used to spread harmful misinformation. The government has issued advisories regulating deepfake and misinformation, and social media platforms initiated efforts to implement algorithmic and technical improvements to counter misinformation and secure the information landscape.

Efforts by the Government and Social Media Platforms to Combat Misinformation

1. Advisory regulating AI, deepfake and misinformation

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a modified advisory on 15th March 2024, in suppression of the advisory issued on 1st March 2024. The latest advisory specifies that the platforms should inform all users about the consequences of dealing with unlawful information on platforms, including disabling access, removing non-compliant information, suspension or termination of access or usage rights of the user to their user account and imposing punishment under applicable law. The advisory necessitates identifying synthetically created content across various formats, and instructs platforms to employ labels, unique identifiers, or metadata to ensure transparency. 

2. Rules related to content regulation

The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (Updated as on 6.4.2023) have been enacted under the IT Act, 2000. These rules assign specific obligations on intermediaries as to what kind of information is to be hosted, displayed, uploaded, published, transmitted, stored or shared. The rules also specify provisions to establish a grievance redressal mechanism by platforms and remove unlawful content within stipulated time frames.

3. Counteracting misinformation during Indian elections 2024

To counter misinformation during the Indian elections the government and social media platforms made their best efforts to ensure the electoral integrity was saved from any threat of mis/disinformation. The Election Commission of India (ECI) further launched the 'Myth vs Reality Register' to combat misinformation and to ensure the integrity of the electoral process during the general elections in 2024. The ECI collaborated with Google to empower the citizenry by making it easy to find critical voting information on Google Search and YouTube. In this way, Google has supported the 2024 Indian General Election by providing high-quality information to voters and helping people navigate AI-generated content. Google connected voters to helpful information through product features that show data from trusted institutions across its portfolio. YouTube showcased election information panels, featuring content from authoritative sources.

4. YouTube and X (Twitter) new ‘Notes Feature’

• Notes Feature on YouTube: YouTube is testing an experimental feature that allows users to add notes to provide relevant, timely, and easy-to-understand context for videos. This initiative builds on previous products that display helpful information alongside videos, such as information panels and disclosure requirements when content is altered or synthetic. YouTube clarified that the pilot will be available on mobiles in the U.S. and in the English language, to start with. During this test phase, viewers, participants, and creators are invited to give feedback on the quality of the notes.
• Community Notes feature on X: Community Notes on X aims to enhance the understanding of potentially misleading posts by allowing users to add context to them. Contributors can leave notes on any post, and if enough people rate the note as helpful, it will be publicly displayed. The algorithm is open source and publicly available on GitHub, allowing anyone to audit, analyze, or suggest improvements. However, Community Notes do not represent X's viewpoint and cannot be edited or modified by their teams. A post with a Community Note will not be labelled, removed, or addressed by X unless it violates the X Rules, Terms of Service, or Privacy Policy. Failure to abide by these rules can result in removal from accessing Community Notes and/or other remediations. Users can report notes that do not comply with the rules by selecting the menu on a note and selecting ‘Report’ or using the provided form.

CyberPeace Policy Recommendations

Countering widespread online misinformation on social media platforms requires a multipronged approach that involves joint efforts from different stakeholders. Platforms should invest in state-of-the-art algorithms and technology to detect and flag suspected misleading information. They should also establish trustworthy fact-checking protocols and collaborate with expert fact-checking groups. Campaigns, seminars, and other educational materials must be encouraged by the government to increase public awareness and digital literacy about the mis/disinformation risks and impacts. Netizens should be empowered with the necessary skills and ability to discern fact and misleading information to successfully browse true information in the digital information age. The joint efforts by Government authorities, tech companies, and expert cyber security organisations are vital in promoting a secure and honest online information landscape and countering the spread of mis/disinformation. Platforms must encourage netizens/users to foster appropriate online conduct while using platforms and abiding by the terms & conditions and community guidelines of the platforms. Encouraging a culture of truth and integrity on the internet, honouring differing points of view, and confirming facts all help to create a more reliable and information-resilient environment. 

References:

1. https://www.meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Advisory%2015March%202024.pdf
2. https://blog.google/intl/en-in/company-news/outreach-initiatives/supporting-the-2024-indian-general-election/
3. https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/new-ways-to-offer-viewers-more-context/
4. https://help.x.com/en/using-x/community-notes

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Amid reports that the death toll in Iran’s ongoing protests has risen to 2,571, a video has been widely circulated on social media showing a man slapping a person dressed in clerical attire after an argument. Users sharing the clip claim that public anger in Iran has escalated to the point where people are now physically attacking religious clerics. However, research by the Cyber Peace Foundation has found this claim to be misleading. The research  established that the video is not recent and has no connection to the current protests in Iran. In fact, the clip dates back to 2021 and was entirely scripted.

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Claim

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On January 14, 2026, users on X (formerly Twitter) shared the viral video with captions suggesting that Iranian citizens are openly assaulting clerics amid the ongoing unrest. One such post stated that the situation in Iran had deteriorated so badly that people were now beating religious leaders.

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The link, archived version, and screenshot of the post are available below:

• https://x.com/brijeshchaodhry/status/2011316139423605203 
• https://archive.ph/yclOD 

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Factcheck:

To verify the authenticity of the claim, the Cyber Peace Foundation extracted keyframes from the viral video and conducted a Google reverse image search. This led investigators to a report published on April 19, 2021, on the Persian-language website of Deutsche Welle (DW). The visuals matched the viral clip exactly, confirming that the footage is nearly five years old, not recent. Here is the link to the original video, along with a screenshot:

• https://www.dw.com/fa-ir/%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%AA-%D9%88-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%B9%D8%AA-%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84-%D9%BE%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%B3-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%DA%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%84-%DA%A9%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%BE-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%DB%8C%DA%A9-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C/a-57249985

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Further examination of reports by Fars News Agency revealed that Tehran police had conducted a detailed probe into the video at the time and declared it fake and pre-scripted. According to Tehran Police Chief Hossein Rahimi, the individual seen wearing religious attire was not a cleric. Here is the link to the original video, along with a screenshot: He was actually employed at a carpet cleaning shop in Tehran, while the man seen slapping him was his own son.

Police stated that the video was deliberately staged and circulated to provoke public sentiment and create unrest by falsely linking it to religious tensions. Both the father and son were arrested, and images of them in police custody were published in contemporaneous reports. Additional confirmation was found on the Independent Persian website, which had also reported on the incident on April 19, 2021, reiterating that the video was fabricated and unrelated to any protest movement. Here is the link to the original video, along with a screenshot:

•  https://www.independentpersian.com/node/139891/%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%DB%8C/%D9%BE%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%B3-%D9%85%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%DA%AF%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF%E2%80%8C-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D9%85-%C2%AB%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%A2%D8%AE%D9%88%D9%86%D8%AF%C2%BB-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%AA%DA%AF%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%AF-%D9%88-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84

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Conclusion

The claim that the viral video shows an Iranian protester slapping a cleric during the current wave of protests is false. The video is from 2021, was scripted, and has no link to the ongoing demonstrations in Iran. It is being reshared with a misleading narrative to spread disinformation and inflame public sentiment.c

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