#FactCheck - AI Generated Photo Circulating Online Misleads About BARC Building Redesign
Executive Summary:
A photo circulating on the web that claims to show the future design of the Bhabha Atomic Research Center, BARC building, has been found to be fake after fact checking has been done. Nevertheless, there is no official notice or confirmation from BARC on its website or social media handles. Through the AI Content Detection tool, we have discovered that the image is a fake as it was generated by an AI. In short, the viral picture is not the authentic architectural plans drawn up for the BARC building.
Claims:
A photo allegedly representing the new outlook of the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) building is reigning over social media platforms.
Fact Check:
To begin our investigation, we surfed the BARC's official website to check out their tender and NITs notifications to inquire for new constructions or renovations.
It was a pity that there was no corresponding information on what was being claimed.
Then, we hopped on their official social media pages and searched for any latest updates on an innovative building construction, if any. We looked on Facebook, Instagram and X . Again, there was no information about the supposed blueprint. To validate the fact that the viral image could be generated by AI, we gave a search on an AI Content Detection tool by Hive that is called ‘AI Classifier’. The tool's analysis was in congruence with the image being an AI-generated computer-made one with 100% accuracy.
To be sure, we also used another AI-image detection tool called, “isitai?” and it turned out to be 98.74% AI generated.
Conclusion:
To conclude, the statement about the image being the new BARC building is fake and misleading. A detailed investigation, examining BARC's authorities and utilizing AI detection tools, proved that the picture is more probable an AI-generated one than an original architectural design. BARC has not given any information nor announced anything for such a plan. This makes the statement untrustworthy since there is no credible source to support it.
Claim: Many social media users claim to show the new design of the BARC building.
Claimed on: X, Facebook
Fact Check: Misleading
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Executive Summary
A video showing a military convoy moving along a road is being widely circulated on social media with the claim that the entry of CRPF forces into West Bengal has changed the situation on the ground, suggesting strict action is underway during the ongoing elections. However, research by CyberPeace found the claim to be misleading. The video is not recent and has been available online since February 2025.
Claim
The 12-second viral clip shows multiple heavy vehicles moving in a convoy on a road. It has been shared on X (formerly Twitter) with a caption claiming that CRPF’s entry into West Bengal has led to a shift from dialogue to strong action, along with communal assertions.
Fact Check
During the verification process, we found that the same video had been posted by several X users around February 17, 2025. In those earlier posts, the video was described as being from Manipur, not West Bengal.
Further analysis revealed that the video contains background audio in the Manipuri language. To confirm this, we contacted a Manipuri journalist, who stated that the audio includes announcements asking people to stay indoors and avoid gathering on the streets. Notably, this audio is missing in the currently viral version of the clip.Although we could not independently verify the exact date and precise location of the footage, visual elements such as road dividers and streetlight patterns closely resemble those found in Imphal, the capital city of Manipur.
Additionally, reports confirm that central armed police forces have indeed been deployed in West Bengal for election duties in multiple phases. However, there is no evidence linking this specific video to those deployments.
Conclusion
The viral claim is misleading. The video does not show CRPF deployment in West Bengal during the ongoing elections. Instead, it appears to be an older clip from Manipur, likely recorded in early 2025, and has been shared with a false and communal narrative. There is no credible evidence to support the claim made alongside the video. Users are advised to verify content before sharing, especially during sensitive events like elections.
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The Digital Covenant: Aligning Communication with SDG Goals
“Rethinking Communication, Cyber Responsibility, and Sustainability in a Connected World”
Introduction
It is rightly said by Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General, “Everyone should be able to express themselves freely without fear of attack. Everyone should be able to access a range of views and information sources.” In 2024, when the Global Alliance for PR and Communication Management asserted that it aligns with the era of digital transformation, where technology is moving at terminal velocity and bringing various risks and threats, it called on the global leaders and stakeholders to proclaim ‘Responsible Communication’ as the 18th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). On May 17th, as we celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) 2025, we must align our personal, professional, and virtual spaces with a safe and sustainable information age.
In terms of digital growth, it is indubitable that India is growing at a brisk pace consistently in alignment with its South Asian and Western counterparts and has incorporated international covenants on digital personal data and cyber crimes within its domestic regime.
UN Global Principles for Information Integrity
The United Nations has displayed its constant commitment to the achievement of the seventeen SDGs that were adopted at the United Nations Conference in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. It recognises that you cannot isolate the digital transformation, technology, and digitisation from other areas that are included within the SDGs, such as health, education, and poverty. The UN released Policy Brief 8 in June 2023 by the UN Secretary-General that seeks to empirically derive data on the threats posed to information integrity and then come up with norms that help guide the member states, the digital platforms, and other stakeholders. The norms must be in conformity with the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to information access.
In line with its agenda, it has formulated Global Principles of Information Integrity, which include “Societal Trust and Resilience”, “Healthy Incentives”, “Public Empowerment”, “Independent, Free and Pluralistic Media” and “Transparency and Research”. The principles recognise the harm caused by hatred, misinformation, and disinformation propagated by the misuse of advances in Artificial Intelligence Technology (AI).
Breaking the Binary: Bridging the Gender Digital Divide
The reflection of how far we have come and how far we have to go can be deciphered with a single sentence, i.e., using digital technologies to promote gender equality. This can be seen both as a paradox and a pressing call to action. As we celebrate WTISD 2025, the day highlights the fundamental role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in accelerating progress and bringing those not included in this digital transformation to become a part of this change, especially the female population that remains isolated from mainstream growth. As per the data given by ITU, “Out of the world population, 70 per cent of men are using the internet, compared with 65 per cent of women.”
This exclusion is not merely a technical gap but a societal and economic chasm, reinforcing existing inequalities. By including such an important goal in the theme of this day, it marks a critical moment towards the formation of gender-sensitive digital policies, promoting digital literacy among women and girls, and ensuring safe, affordable, and meaningful connectivity. We can explore the future potential where technology is the true instrument for gender parity, not a mirror of old hierarchies.
India and its courts have time and again proven their commitment to cultivating digital transformation as an inherent strength to bridge this digital divide, and the recent judgement where the court declared the right to digital access an intrinsic part of the right to life and liberty is a single instance among many.
CyberPeace Resolution on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
CyberPeace is actively bridging the gap between digital safety and sustainable development through its initiatives, aligning with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ‘CyberPeace Corps’ empowers communities by fostering cyber hygiene awareness and building digital resilience. The ‘CyberPeace Initiative’, a project with Google.org, tackles digital misinformation, promoting informed online engagement. Additionally, Digital Shakti, now in its fifth phase, empowers women by enhancing their digital literacy and safety. These are just a few of the many impactful initiatives by CyberPeace, aimed at creating a safer and more inclusive digital future. Together, we are spreading awareness and strengthening the foundation for a safer and more inclusive digital future and promoting responsible tech use. Let us be resolute on this World Telecommunication and Information Society Day for “Clean Data. Safe Clicks. Stronger Future. Pledge to Cyber Hygiene Today!”
References
Introduction
The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023 of India is a significant transition for privacy legislation in this age of digital data. A key element of this new law is a requirement for organisations to have appropriate, user-friendly consent mechanisms in place for their customers so that collection, use or removal of an individual's personal data occurs in a clear and compliant manner. As a means of putting this requirement into practice, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a comprehensive Business Requirements Document (BRD) in June 2025 to guide organizations, as well as Consent Managers, on how to create a Consent Management System (CMS). This document establishes the technical and functional framework by which organizations and individuals (Data Principals) will exercise control over the way their data is gathered, used and removed.
Understanding the BRD and Its Purpose
BRD represents an optional guide created as part of the "Code for Consent" programme run by MeitY in India. The purpose of the BRD is to provide guidance to startups, digital platforms and other enterprises on how to create a technology system that supports management of user consent per the requirements of the DPDP Act. Although the contents of the BRD do not carry any legal weight, it lays out a clear path for organisations to create their own consent mechanisms using best practices that align with the principles of transparency, accountability and purpose limitation in the DPDP Act.
The goal is threefold:
- Enable complete consent lifecycle management from collection to withdrawal.
- Empower individuals to manage their consents actively and transparently.
- Support data fiduciaries and processors with an interoperable system that ensures compliance.
Key Components of the Consent Management System
The BRD proposes the development of a modular Consent Management System (CMS) that provides users with secure APIs and user-friendly interfaces. This system will allow for a variety of features and modules, including:
- Consent Lifecycle Management – consent should be specific, informed and tied to an explicit purpose. The CMS will manage the collection, validation, renewal, updates and withdrawal of consent. Each transaction of consent will create a tamper-proof “consent artifact,” which will include the timestamp of creation as well as an ID identifying the purpose for which it was given.
- User Dashboard – A user will be able to view and modify the status of their active, expired or withdrawn consent and revoke access at any time via the multilingual user-friendly interface. This would make the system accessible to people from different regions and cultures.
- Notification Engine – The CMS will automatically notify users, fiduciaries and processors of any action taken with respect to consent, in order to ensure real-time updates and accountability.
- Grievance Redress Mechanism – The CMS will include a complaints mechanism that allows users to submit complaints related to the misuse of consent or the denial of their rights. This will enable tracking of the complaint resolution status, and will allow for escalation if necessary.
- Audit and Logging – As part of the CMS's internal controls for compliance and regulatory purposes, the CMS must maintain an immutable record of every instance of consent for auditing and regulatory review. The records must be encrypted, time-stamped, and linked permanently to a user and purpose ID.
- Cookie Consent Management – A separate module will enable users to manage cookie consent for websites separately from any other consents.
Roles and Responsibilities
The BRD identifies the various stakeholders involved and their associated responsibilities.
- Data Principals (Users): The user has full authority to give, withhold, amend, or revoke their consent for the use of their personal data, at any time.
- Data Fiduciaries (Companies): Companies (the fiduciaries) must collect the data principals' consents for each particular reason and must only begin processing a data subject's personal data after validating that consent through the CMS. Companies must also provide the data principals with any information or notifications needed, as well as how to resolve their complaints.
- Data Processors: Data Processors must strictly adhere to the consent stated in the CMS, and Data Processors may only process personal data on behalf of the Data Fiduciary.
- Consent Managers: The Consent Managers are independent entities that are registered with the Data Protection Board. They are responsible for administering the CMS, allowing users to manage their consent across different platforms.
This layered structure ensures transparency and shared responsibility for the consent ecosystem.
Technical Specifications and Security
The following principles of the DPDP Act must be followed to remain compliant with the DPDP Act.
- End-to-End Encryption: All exchanges of data with users must be encrypted using a minimum of TSL 1.3 and also encrypting within that standard.
- API-First Approach: API’s will be utilized to validate, withdraw and update consent in a secured manner using external sources.
- Interoperability/Accessibility: The CMS needs to allow for users to utilize several different languages (e.g. Hindi, Tamil, etc.) and be appropriate for use with various types of mobile devices and different abilities.
- Data Retention Policy: The CMS should also include automatic deletion of consent data (when the consent has expired or has been withdrawn) in order to maintain compliance with data retention limits.
Legal Relevance and Timelines
While the BRD itself is not enforceable, it is directly aligned with the upcoming enforcement of the DPDP Act, 2023. The Act was passed in August 2023 but is expected to come into effect in stages, once officially notified by the central government. Draft implementation rules, including those defining the role of Consent Managers, were released for public consultation in early 2025.
For businesses, the BRD serves as an early compliance tool—offering both a conceptual roadmap and technical framework to prepare before the law is enforced. Legal experts have described it as a critical resource for aligning data governance systems with emerging regulatory expectations.
Implications for Businesses
Organizations that collect and process user data will be required to overhaul their consent workflows:
- No blanket consents: Every data processing activity must have explicit, separate consent.
- Granular audit logs: Companies must maintain tamper-proof logs for every consent action.
- Integration readiness: Enterprises need to integrate their platforms with third-party or in-house CMS platforms via the specified APIs.
- Grievance redress and user support: Systems must be in place to handle complaints and withdrawal requests in a timely, verifiable manner.
Failing to comply once the DPDP Act is in force may expose companies to penalties, reputational damage, and potential regulatory action.
Conclusion
The BRD on Consent Management of India is a forward-looking initiative laying a technological framework that is an essential component of the DPDP Act concerning user consent; Although not yet a legal document, it provides an extent of going into all the necessary discipline for companies to prepare. As data protection grows in importance, developing consent mechanisms based on security, transparency, and the needs of the user is no longer just a regulatory requirement, but rather a requirement for the development of trust. This is the time for businesses to establish or implement CMS solutions that support this objective to be better equipped for the future of data governance in India.
References
- https://d38ibwa0xdgwxx.cloudfront.net/whatsnew-docs/8d5409f5-d26c-4697-b10e-5f6fb2d583ef.pdf
- https://ssrana.in/articles/ministry-releases-business-requirement-document-for-consent-management-under-the-dpdp-act-2023/
- https://dpo-india.com/Blogs/consent-dpdpa/
- https://corporate.cyrilamarchandblogs.com/2025/06/the-ghost-in-the-machine-the-recent-business-requirement-document-on-consent/
- https://www.mondaq.com/india/privacy-protection/1660964/analysis-of-the-business-requirement-document-for-consent-management-system
