#FactCheck - Viral Video Falsely Linked to Netanyahu’s Brother’s Death, Old Funeral Clip Misused
Executive Summary:
A video is going viral on social media claiming to show family members mourning the death of Iddo Netanyahu, brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, an research by the CyberPeace found that the claim being shared with the video is false. The video has been available on the internet since 2024. According to available information, it shows the funeral of an Israeli soldier who was killed in an attack in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza.Moreover, no credible news reports were found confirming the death of Iddo Netanyahu.
Claim:
An Instagram user shared the viral video with an English caption stating, “Family members are crying after the death of Iddo Netanyahu was confirmed.”
Fact Check:
During the investigation, we found the original video on an X (formerly Twitter) account named Warfare Analysis. The video was posted on October 12, 2024, confirming that it predates the recent Iran-Israel conflict. Notably, the “Warfare Analysis” logo is also visible in the viral video. According to the caption, the footage shows the funeral of Israeli soldier Netanel Hershkovit, who was killed on October 11, 2024, in an attack by Al-Qassam in Jabalia, northern Gaza.
A report published by VIN News on October 12, 2024, also covered the funeral of Netanel Hershkovit and included statements from his family members.
Conclusion:
Our research found that the claim shared with the video is false. The video has been online since 2024 and shows the funeral of an Israeli soldier killed in northern Gaza. Additionally, no credible reports confirm the death of Iddo Netanyahu.
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Executive Summary
A video of Delhi government cabinet minister Kapil Mishra is being shared on social media. In the clip, he can be heard saying that from the next day, only 50 percent attendance will be allowed in offices, while the remaining 50 percent employees will work from home. He also states that all institutions must comply with this. Users are sharing the video as a recent development. However, a study by the CyberPeace found the viral claim to be misleading. Our research revealed that the video is not recent but dates back to December 2025.
Claim:
An Instagram user shared the viral video on March 24, 2026. The link to the post is given below.
Fact Check:
To verify the claim, we conducted a keyword search on Google. During this process, we found a report published on December 17, 2025, on NDTV Hindi. According to the report, the Delhi government had made 50 percent work-from-home mandatory in government offices due to severe air pollution. Additional restrictions were also imposed under GRAP Stage IV.
Further, we found the original video on the official social media handle of BJP Delhi. In this video, Kapil Mishra can be heard stating that 50 percent work-from-home has been made mandatory in all government and private offices in Delhi, while health and other essential services have been exempted from this arrangement.
Conclusion:
Our research found that the viral video is not recent. It is from December 2025 and is being shared with a misleading claim.
Executive Summary
A video is being shared on social media with the claim that a woman in New Delhi slapped an Indian Army soldier who allegedly followed and harassed her on the road. The post claims that the woman confronted the soldier on the spot, linking the incident to harassment of women. CyberPeace Research found the viral claim to be misleading. Our research found that the video is not recent but dates back to an incident in Delhi in September 2017. The video is from a road rage incident that took place in the Vasant Kunj-Rajokari Flyover area of South Delhi in September 2017. According to available reports, the woman allegedly assaulted two Army personnel. The claim that the video shows an incident in which a woman slapped an Army soldier in response to being followed or harassed by him is misleading.
Claim:
A social media user shared the viral video claiming that a woman in New Delhi slapped an Indian Army soldier who allegedly followed and harassed her on the road. The post claimed that instead of remaining silent, the woman confronted the soldier on the spot. The post further stated that the incident sends a strong message that wearing a uniform does not give anyone the right to harass or intimidate civilians, especially women.
https://x.com/OfficialThoka/status/2101989813071307032
Fact Check
To verify the viral claim, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords. However, we did not find any credible media reports related to the claim.To further verify the authenticity of the viral claim, we conducted a reverse image search of the keyframes of the video. During the search, we found the same video on the NDTV website, which was published on September 15, 2017. According to the NDTV report, a woman in New Delhi was caught on camera repeatedly slapping an Army personnel. The soldier did not appear to retaliate during the incident. Following a complaint by the Army to the Delhi Police, the woman was arrested. However, she was released within a few hours after a judge granted her bail. The report stated that in a video recorded by a witness on a mobile phone in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj the previous Saturday, 44-year-old Smriti Kalra was seen repeatedly slapping the soldier on the face before walking angrily towards her car. The soldier appeared to be trying to reason with her while attempting to defend himself against the assault.Smriti Kalra, a resident of Gurgaon, had stopped her Tata Indica car in front of an Army truck carrying soldiers. At first glance, the incident appeared to be a case of road rage, although there was no reported collision or any obvious provocation for the attack.Smriti Kalra, who was divorced, was charged with causing hurt to deter a public servant from performing his duty. She was also accused of obstructing and assaulting a public servant on duty and wrongfully restraining him. Police seized her car.
In the next stage of our research, we found a report on the Aaj Tak website related to the incident, which also featured the viral video. The report included an exclusive interview with the Army personnel involved in the incident. He was identified as Mahavir Singh, who was serving as a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Army at the time.
In an exclusive interview with Aaj Tak, Mahavir Singh said that he was deeply saddened by the incident. He questioned how anyone could behave in such a manner with Indian Army personnel, abuse them, or slap them. He said that the Army vehicle was moving slowly when a car suddenly came in front of it and started driving ahead of them. A woman was the only person in the car, and she was allegedly driving in a zigzag manner in front of the Army vehicle.
Conclusion
Our research found that the viral video is being shared with a misleading context. The video is not from a recent incident but from a road rage incident that took place in the Vasant Kunj-Rajokari Flyover area of South Delhi in September 2017. According to available media reports, the woman had allegedly misbehaved with Army personnel and slapped one of the soldiers during the incident. Mahavir Singh, who was serving as a JCO in the Army at the time, also spoke to the media about the incident. Our research found no credible information confirming that the Army personnel had followed or harassed the woman. Therefore, the claim that the video from the 2017 incident shows a woman slapping a soldier in response to being allegedly followed or harassed by him is misleading.
Introduction
As India moves full steam ahead towards a trillion-dollar digital economy, how user data is gathered, processed and safeguarded is under the spotlight. One of the most pervasive but least known technologies used to gather user data is the cookie. Cookies are inserted into every website and application to improve functionality, measure usage and customize content. But they also present enormous privacy threats, particularly when used without explicit user approval.
In 2023, India passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) to give strong legal protection to data privacy. Though the act does not refer to cookies by name, its language leaves no doubt as to the inclusion of any technology that gathers or processes personal information and thus cookies regulation is at the centre of digital compliance in India. This blog covers what cookies are, how international legislation, such as the GDPR, has addressed them and how India's DPDP will regulate their use.
What Are Cookies and Why Do They Matter?
Cookies are simply small pieces of data that a website stores in the browser. They were originally designed to help websites remember useful information about users, such as your login session or what is in your shopping cart. Netscape initially built them in 1994 to make web surfing more efficient.
Cookies exist in various types. Session cookies are volatile and are deleted when the browser is shut down, whereas persistent cookies are stored on the device to monitor users over a period of time. First-party cookies are made by the site one is visiting, while third-party cookies are from other domains, usually utilised for advertisements or analytics. Special cookies, such as secure cookies, zombie cookies and tracking cookies, differ in intent and danger. They gather information such as IP addresses, device IDs and browsing history information associated with a person, thus making it personal data per the majority of data protection regulations.
A Brief Overview of the GDPR and Cookie Policy
The GDPR regulates how personal data can be processed in general. However, if a cookie collects personal data (like IP addresses or identifiers that can track a person), then GDPR applies as well, because it sets the rules on how that personal data may be processed, what lawful bases are required, and what rights the user has.
The ePrivacy Directive (also called the “Cookie Law”) specifically regulates how cookies and similar technologies can be used. Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive says that storing or accessing information (such as cookies) on a user’s device requires prior, informed consent, unless the cookie is strictly necessary for providing the service requested by the user.
In the seminal Planet49 decision, the Court of Justice of the European Union held that pre-ticked boxes do not represent valid consent. Another prominent enforcement saw Amazon fined €35 million by France's CNIL for using tracking cookies without user consent.
Cookies and India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), 2023
India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 does not refer to cookies specifically but its provisions necessarily come into play when cookies harvest personal data like user activity, IP addresses, or device data. According to DPDP, personal data is to be processed for legitimate purposes with the individual's consent. The consent has to be free, informed, clear and unambiguous. The individuals have to be informed of what data is collected, how it will be processed.. The Act also forbids behavioural monitoring and targeted advertising in the case of children.
The Ministry of Electronics and IT released the Business Requirements Document for Consent Management Systems (BRDCMS) in June 2025. Although it is not binding by law, it provides operational advice on cookie consent. It recommends that websites use cookie banners with "Accept," "Reject," and "Customize" choices. Users must be able to withdraw or change their consent at any moment. Multi-language handling and automatic expiry of cookie preferences are also suggested to suit accessibility and privacy requirements.
The DPDP Act and the BRDCMS together create a robust user-rights model, even in the absence of a special cookie law.
What Should Indian Websites Do?
For the purposes of staying compliant, Indian websites and online platforms need to act promptly to harmonise their use of cookies with DPDP principles. This begins with a transparent and simple cookie banner providing users with an opportunity to accept or decline non-essential cookies. Consent needs to be meaningful; coercive tactics such as cookie walls must not be employed. Websites need to classify cookies (e.g., necessary, analytics and ads) and describe each category's function in plain terms under the privacy policy. Users must be given the option to modify cookie settings anytime using a Consent Management Platform (CMP). Monitoring children or their behavioural information must be strictly off-limits.
These are not only about being compliant with the law, they're about adhering to ethical data stewardship and user trust building.
What Should Users Do?
Cookies need to be understood and controlled by users to maintain online personal privacy. Begin by reading cookie notices thoroughly and declining unnecessary cookies, particularly those associated with tracking or advertising. The majority of browsers today support blocking third-party cookies altogether or deleting them periodically.
It is also recommended to check and modify privacy settings on websites and mobile applications. It is possible to minimise surveillance with the use of browser add-ons such as ad blockers or privacy extensions. Users are also recommended not to blindly accept "accept all" in cookie notices and instead choose "customise" or "reject" where not necessary for their use.
Finally, keeping abreast of data rights under Indian law, such as the right to withdraw consent or to have data deleted, will enable people to reclaim control over their online presence.
Conclusion
Cookies are a fundamental component of the modern web, but they raise significant concerns about individual privacy. India's DPDP Act, 2023, though not explicitly referring to cookies, contains an effective legal framework that regulates any data collection activity involving personal data, including those facilitated by cookies.
As India continues to make progress towards comprehensive rulemaking and regulation, companies need to implement privacy-first practices today. And so must the users, in an active role in their own digital lives. Collectively, compliance, transparency and awareness can build a more secure and ethical internet ecosystem where privacy is prioritised by design.
References
- https://prsindia.org/billtrack/digital-personal-data-protection-bill-2023
- https://gdpr-info.eu/
- https://d38ibwa0xdgwxx.cloudfront.net/create-edition/7c2e2271-6ddd-4161-a46c-c53b8609c09d.pdf
- https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa
- https://www.barandbench.com/columns/cookie-management-under-the-digital-personal-data-protection-act-2023#:~:text=The%20Business%20Requirements%20Document%20for,the%20DPDP%20Act%20and%20Rules.
- https://samistilegal.in/cookies-meaning-legal-regulations-and-implications/#
- https://secureprivacy.ai/blog/india-digital-personal-data-protection-act-dpdpa-cookie-consent-requirements
- https://law.asia/cookie-use-india/
- https://www.cookielawinfo.com/major-gdpr-fines-2020-2021/#:~:text=4.,French%20websites%20could%20refuse%20cookies.
