#FactCheck -AI-Generated Video Falsely Shared as Leopard Dragging Passenger From Moving Train

Introduction

In a world where social media dictates public perception and content created by AI dilutes the difference between fact and fiction, mis/disinformation has become a national cybersecurity threat. Today, disinformation campaigns are designed for their effect, with political manipulation, interference in public health, financial fraud, and even community violence. India, with its 900+ million internet users, is especially susceptible to this distortion online. The advent of deep fakes, AI-text, and hyper-personalised propaganda has made disinformation more plausible and more difficult to identify than ever. 

What is Misinformation?

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information provided without intent to deceive. Disinformation, on the other hand, is content intentionally designed to mislead and created and disseminated to harm or manipulate. Both are responsible for what experts have termed an "infodemic", overwhelming people with a deluge of false information that hinders their ability to make decisions. 

Examples of impactful mis/disinformation are:

• COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories (e.g., infertility or microchips)
• Election-related false news (e.g., EVM hacking so-called)
• Social disinformation (e.g., manipulated videos of riots)
• Financial scams (e.g., bogus UPI cashbacks or RBI refund plans)

How Misinformation Spreads

Misinformation goes viral because of both technology design and human psychology. Social media sites such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and WhatsApp are designed to amplify messages that elicit high levels of emotional reactions are usually polarising, sensationalistic, or fear-mongering posts. This causes falsehoods or misinformation to get much more attention and activity than authentic facts, and therefore prioritises virality over truth.

Another major consideration is the misuse of generative AI and deep fakes. Applications like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and ElevenLabs can be used to generate highly convincing fake news stories, audio recordings, or videos imitating public figures. These synthetic media assets are increasingly being misused by bad actors for political impersonation, propagating fabricated news reports, and even carrying out voice-based scams.

To this danger are added coordinated disinformation efforts that are commonly operated by foreign or domestic players with certain political or ideological objectives. These efforts employ networks of bot networks on social media, deceptive hashtags, and fabricated images to sway public opinion, especially during politically sensitive events such as elections, protests, or foreign wars. Such efforts are usually automated with the help of bots and meme-driven propaganda, which makes them scalable and traceless.

Why Misinformation is Dangerous

Mis/disinformation is a significant threat to democratic stability, public health, and personal security. Perhaps one of the most pernicious threats is that it undermines public trust. If it goes unchecked, then it destroys trust in core institutions like the media, judiciary, and electoral system. This erosion of public trust has the potential to destabilise democracies and heighten political polarisation.

In India, false information has had terrible real-world outcomes, especially in terms of creating violence. Misleading messages regarding child kidnappers on WhatsApp have resulted in rural mob lynching. As well, communal riots have been sparked due to manipulated religious videos, and false terrorist warnings have created public panic.

The pandemic of COVID-19 also showed us how misinformation can be lethal. Misinformation regarding vaccine safety, miracle cures, and the source of viruses resulted in mass vaccine hesitancy, utilisation of dangerous treatments, and even avoidable deaths.

Aside from health and safety, mis/disinformation has also been used in financial scams. Cybercriminals take advantage of the fear and curiosity of the people by promoting false investment opportunities, phishing URLs, and impersonation cons. Victims get tricked into sharing confidential information or remitting money using seemingly official government or bank websites, leading to losses in crypto Ponzi schemes, UPI scams, and others.

India’s Response to Misinformation

1. PIB Fact Check Unit

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) operates a fact-checking service to debunk viral false information, particularly on government policies. In 3 years, the unit identified more than 1,500 misinformation posts across media.

2. Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C)

Working under MHA, I4C has collaborated with social media platforms to identify sources of viral misinformation. Through the Cyber Tipline, citizens can report misleading content through 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.

3. IT Rules  (The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 [updated as on 6.4.2023]

The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules were updated to enable the government to following aspects:

• Removal of unlawful content
• Platform accountability

4. Detection Tools

There are certain detection tool that works as shields in assisting fact-checkers and enforcement bodies to:

• Identify synthetic voice and video scams through technical measures.
• Track misinformation networks.
• Label manipulated media in real-time.

CyberPeace View: Solutions for a Misinformation-Resilient Bharat

1. Scale Digital Literacy

"Think Before You Share" programs for rural schools to teach students to check sources, identify clickbait, and not reshare fake news. 

2. Platform Accountability

Technology platforms need to:

• Flag manipulated media.
• Offer algorithmic transparency.
• Mark AI-created media.
• Provide localised fact-checking across diverse Indian languages.

3. Community-Led Verification

Establish WhatsApp and Telegram "Fact Check Hubs" headed by expert organisations, industry experts,  journalists, and digital volunteers who can report at the grassroots level fake content.

4. Legal Framework for Deepfakes

Formulate targeted legislation under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and other relevant laws to make malicious deepfake and synthetic media use a criminal offense for:

• Electoral manipulation.
• Defamation.
• Financial scams.

5. AI Counter-Misinformation Infrastructure

Invest in public sector AI models trained specifically to identify:

• Coordinated disinformation patterns.
• Botnet-driven hashtag campaigns.
• Real-time viral fake news bursts.

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Conclusion

Mis/disinformation is more than just a content issue, it's a public health, cybersecurity, and democratic stability challenge. As India enters the digitally empowered world, making a secure, informed, and resilient information ecosystem is no longer a choice; now, it's imperative. Fighting misinformation demands a whole-of-society effort with AI innovation, public education, regulatory overhaul, and tech responsibility. The danger is there, but so is the opportunity to guide the world toward a fact-first, trust-based digital age. It's time to act.

References

• https://www.pib.gov.in/factcheck.aspx
• https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2024/02/Information-Technology-Intermediary-Guidelines-and-Digital-Media-Ethics-Code-Rules-2021-updated-06.04.2023-.pdf
• https://www.cyberpeace.org
• https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cezwr3d2085t
• https://www.logically.ai
• https://www.altnews.in

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What are Deepfakes? 

A deepfake is essentially a video of a person in which their face or body has been digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else, typically used maliciously or to spread false information. Deepfake technology is a method for manipulating videos, images, and audio utilising powerful computers and deep learning. It is used to generate fake news and commit financial fraud, among other wrongdoings. It overlays a digital composite over an already-existing video, picture, or audio; cybercriminals use Artificial Intelligence technology. The term deepfake was coined first time in 2017 by an anonymous Reddit user, who called himself deepfake. 

Deepfakes works on a combination of AI and ML, which makes the technology hard to detect by Web 2.0 applications, and it is almost impossible for a layman to see if an image or video is fake or has been created using deepfakes. In recent times, we have seen a wave of AI-driven tools which have impacted all industries and professions across the globe. Deepfakes are often created to spread misinformation. There lies a key difference between image morphing and deepfakes. Image morphing is primarily used for evading facial recognition, but deepfakes are created to spread misinformation and propaganda. 

Issues Pertaining to Deepfakes in India 

Deepfakes are a threat to any nation as the impact can be divesting in terms of monetary losses, social and cultural unrest, and actions against the sovereignty of India by anti-national elements. Deepfake detection is difficult but not impossible. The following threats/issues are seen to be originating out of deep fakes: 

• Misinformation: One of the biggest issues of Deepfake is misinformation, the same was seen during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where in a deepfake of Ukraine’s president, Mr Zelensky, surfaced on the internet and caused mass confusion and propaganda-based misappropriation among the Ukrainians. 
• Instigation against the Union of India: Deepfake poses a massive threat to the integrity of the Union of India, as this is one of the easiest ways for anti-national elements to propagate violence or instigate people against the nation and its interests. As India grows, so do the possibilities of anti-national attacks against the nation. 
• Cyberbullying/ Harassment: Deepfakes can be used by bad actors to harass and bully people online in order to extort money from them. 
• Exposure to Illicit Content: Deepfakes can be easily used to create illicit content, and oftentimes, it is seen that it is being circulated on online gaming platforms where children engage the most. 
• Threat to Digital Privacy: Deepfakes are created by using existing videos. Hence, bad actors often use photos and videos from Social media accounts to create deepfakes, this directly poses a threat to the digital privacy of a netizen.  
• Lack of Grievance Redressal Mechanism: In the contemporary world, the majority of nations lack a concrete policy to address the aspects of deepfake. Hence, it is of paramount importance to establish legal and industry-based grievance redressal mechanisms for the victims. 
• Lack of Digital Literacy: Despite of high internet and technology penetration rates in India, digital literacy lags behind, this is a massive concern for the Indian netizens as it takes them far from understanding the tech, which results in the under-reporting of crimes. Large-scale awareness and sensitisation campaigns need to be undertaken in India to address misinformation and the influence of deepfakes. 

How to spot deepfakes? 

Deepfakes look like the original video at first look, but as we progress into the digital world, it is pertinent to establish identifying deepfakes in our digital routine and netiquettes in order to stay protected in the future and to address this issue before it is too late. The following aspects can be kept in mind while differentiating between a real video and a deepfake

• Look for facial expressions and irregularities: Whenever differentiating between an original video and deepfake, always look for changes in facial expressions and irregularities, it can be seen that the facial expressions, such as eye movement and a temporary twitch on the face, are all signs of a video being a deepfake. 
• Listen to the audio: The audio in deepfake also has variations as it is imposed on an existing video, so keep a check on the sound effects coming from a video in congruence with the actions or gestures in the video. 
• Pay attention to the background: The most easiest way to spot a deepfake is to pay attention to the background, in all deepfakes, you can spot irregularities in the background as, in most cases, its created using virtual effects so that all deepfakes will have an element of artificialness in the background. 
• Context and Content: Most of the instances of deepfake have been focused towards creating or spreading misinformation hence, the context and content of any video is an integral part of differentiating between an original video and deepfake. 
• Fact-Checking: As a basic cyber safety and digital hygiene protocol, one should always make sure to fact-check each and every piece of information they come across on social media. As a preventive measure, always make sure to fact-check any information or post sharing it with your known ones.  
• AI Tools: When in doubt, check it out, and never refrain from using Deepfake detection tools like- Sentinel, Intel’s real-time deepfake detector - Fake catcher, We Verify, and Microsoft’s Video Authenticator tool to analyze the videos and combating technology with technology. 

Recent Instance 

A deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna recently went viral on social media, creating quite a stir. The video showed a woman entering an elevator who looked remarkably like Mandanna. However, it was later revealed that the woman in the video was not Mandanna, but rather, her face was superimposed using AI tools. Some social media users were deceived into believing that the woman was indeed Mandanna, while others identified it as an AI-generated deepfake. The original video was actually of a British-Indian girl named Zara Patel, who has a substantial following on Instagram. This incident sparked criticism from social media users towards those who created and shared the video merely for views, and there were calls for strict action against the uploaders. The rapid changes in the digital world pose a threat to personal privacy; hence, caution is advised when sharing personal items on social media​​.

Legal Remedies

Although Deepfake is not recognised by law in India, it is indirectly addressed by Sec. 66 E of the IT Act, which makes it illegal to capture, publish, or transmit someone's image in the media without that person's consent, thus violating their privacy. The maximum penalty for this violation is ₹2 lakh in fines or three years in prison. The DPDP Act's applicability in 2023 means that the creation of deepfakes will directly affect an individual's right to digital privacy and will also violate the IT guidelines under the Intermediary Guidelines, as platforms will be required to exercise caution while disseminating and publishing misinformation through deepfakes. The indirect provisions of the Indian Penal Code, which cover the sale and dissemination of derogatory publications, songs and actions, deception in the delivery of property, cheating and dishonestly influencing the delivery of property, and forgery with the intent to defame, are the only legal remedies available for deepfakes. Deep fakes must be recognized legally due to the growing power of misinformation. The Data Protection Board and the soon-to-be-established fact-checking body must recognize crimes related to deepfakes and provide an efficient system for filing complaints.

Conclusion 

Deepfake is an aftermath of the advancements of Web 3.0 and, hence is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the issues/threats from emerging technologies. It is pertinent to upskill and educate the netizens about the keen aspects of deepfakes to stay safe in the future. At the same time, developing and developed nations need to create policies and laws to efficiently regulate deepfake and to set up redressal mechanisms for victims and industry. As we move ahead, it is pertinent to address the threats originating out of the emerging techs and, at the same time, create a robust resilience for the same. 

References 

• https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/deepfake-technology
• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/explained-what-are-deepfakes-and-how-to-spot-one/articleshow/90916962.cms
• https://www.unite.ai/best-deepfake-detector-tools-and-techniques/

The European Union (EU) has made trailblazing efforts regarding protection and privacy, coming up with the most comprehensive and detailed regulation called the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). As countries worldwide continue to grapple with setting their laws, the EU is already taking on issues with tech giants and focusing on the road ahead. Its contentious issues with Meta and the launch of Meta’s AI assistant in the EU are thus seen as a complex process, shaped by stringent data privacy regulations, ongoing debates over copyright, and ethical AI practices.​ This development is considered important as previously, the EU and Meta have had issues (including fines and and also received a pushback concerning its services), which broadly include data privacy regarding compliance with GDPR, antitrust law concerns- targeting ads, facebook marketplace activities and content moderation with respect to the spread of misinformation. 

Privacy and Data Protection Concerns

A significant part of operating Large Language Models (LLMs) is the need to train them with a repository of data/ plausible answers from which they can source. If it doesn’t find relevant information or the request is out of its scope, programmed to answer, it shall continue to follow orders, but with a reduction in the accuracy of its response. Meta's initial plans to train its AI models using publicly available content from adult users in the EU received a setback from privacy regulators. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), acting as Meta's lead privacy regulator in Europe, raised the issue and requested a delay in the rollout to assess its compliance with GDPR. It has also raised similar concerns with Grok, the AI tool of X, to assess whether the EU users’  data was lawfully processed for training it. 

In response, Meta stalled the release of this feature for around a year and agreed to exclude private messages and data from users under the age of 18 and implemented an opt-out mechanism for users who do not wish their public data to be used for AI training. This approach aligns with GDPR requirements, which mandate a clear legal basis for processing personal data, such as obtaining explicit consent or demonstrating legitimate interest, along with the option of removal of consent at a later stage, as the user wishes. The version/service available at the moment is a text-based assistant which is not capable of things like image generation, but can provide services and assistance which include brainstorming, planning, and answering queries from web-based information. However, Meta has assured its users of expansion and exploration regarding the AI features in the near future as it continues to cooperate with the regulators.

Regulatory Environment and Strategic Decisions

The EU's regulatory landscape, characterised by the GDPR and the forthcoming AI Act, presents challenges for tech companies like Meta. Citing the "unpredictable nature" of EU regulations, Meta has decided not to release its multimodal Llama AI model—capable of processing text, images, audio, and video—in the EU. This decision underscores the tension between innovation and regulatory compliance, as companies navigate the complexities of deploying advanced AI technologies within strict legal frameworks. 

Implications and Future Outlook

Meta's experience highlights the broader challenges faced by AI developers operating in jurisdictions with robust data protection laws. The most critical issue that remains for now is to strike a balance  between  leveraging user data for AI advancement while respecting individual privacy rights.. As the EU continues to refine its regulatory approach to AI, companies need to adapt their strategies to ensure compliance while fostering innovation.​ Stringent measures and regular assessment also keep in check the accountability of big tech companies as they make for profit as well as for the public.

Reference:

• https://thehackernews.com/2025/04/meta-resumes-eu-ai-training-using.html
• https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/meta-to-train-ai-models-on-european-users-public-data/article69451271.ece
• https://about.fb.com/news/2025/04/making-ai-work-harder-for-europeans/ 
• https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/15/meta_resume_ai_training_eu_user_posts/ 
• https://noyb.eu/en/twitters-ai-plans-hit-9-more-gdpr-complaints 

• https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/story/meta-ai-finally-comes-to-europe-after-a-year-long-delay-but-with-some-limitations-468809-2025-03-21
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-13/meta-opens-facebook-marketplace-to-rivals-in-eu-antitrust-clash
• https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/22/business/meta-facebook-eu-privacy-fine.html#:~:text=Many%20civil%20society%20groups%20and,million%20for%20a%20data%20leak.
• https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_5801
• https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/european-union-accuses-facebook-owner-meta-of-breaking-digital-rules-with-paid-ad-free-option/article68358039.ece
• https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/14/ireland_investigation_into_x/ 
• https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/18/24201041/meta-multimodal-llama-ai-model-launch-eu-regulations?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• https://www.axios.com/2024/07/17/meta-future-multimodal-ai-models-eu?utm_source=chatgpt.com 

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