#FactCheck-Video Falsely Shared as Nepal Expelling Bangladeshis; Actually Shows Anti-Encroachment Drive in Dhaka

Introduction 

The link between social media and misinformation is undeniable. Misinformation, particularly the kind that evokes emotion, spreads like wildfire on social media and has serious consequences, like undermining democratic processes, discrediting science, and promulgating hateful discourses which may incite physical violence. If left unchecked, misinformation propagated through social media has the potential to incite social disorder, as seen in countless ethnic clashes worldwide.  This is why social media platforms have been under growing pressure to combat misinformation and have been developing models such as fact-checking services and community notes to check its spread. This article explores the pros and cons of the models and evaluates their broader implications for online information integrity.

How the Models Work 

1. Third-Party Fact-Checking Model (formerly used by Meta) Meta initiated this program in 2016 after claims of extraterritorial election tampering through dis/misinformation on its platforms. It entered partnerships with third-party organizations like AFP and specialist sites like Lead Stories and PolitiFact, which are certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) for meeting neutrality, independence, and editorial quality standards. These fact-checkers identify misleading claims that go viral on platforms and publish verified articles on their websites, providing correct information. They also submit this to Meta through an interface, which may link the fact-checked article to the social media post that contains factually incorrect claims. The post then gets flagged for false or misleading content, and a link to the article appears under the post for users to refer to. This content will be demoted in the platform algorithm, though not removed entirely unless it violates Community Standards. However, in January 2025, Meta announced it was scrapping this program and beginning to test X’s Community Notes Model in the USA, before rolling it out in the rest of the world. It alleges that the independent fact-checking model is riddled with personal biases, lacks transparency in decision-making, and has evolved into a censoring tool. 
2. Community Notes Model ( Used by X and being tested by Meta): This model relies on crowdsourced contributors who can sign up for the program, write contextual notes on posts and rate the notes made by other users on X. The platform uses a bridging algorithm to display those notes publicly, which receive cross-ideological consensus from voters across the political spectrum. It does this by boosting those notes that receive support despite the political leaning of the voters, which it measures through their engagements with previous notes. The benefit of this system is that it is less likely for biases to creep into the flagging mechanism. Further, the process is relatively more transparent than an independent fact-checking mechanism since all Community Notes contributions are publicly available for inspection, and the ranking algorithm can be accessed by anyone, allowing for external evaluation of the system by anyone. 

CyberPeace Insights

Meta’s uptake of a crowdsourced model signals social media’s shift toward decentralized content moderation, giving users more influence in what gets flagged and why. However, the model’s reliance on diverse agreements can be a time-consuming process. A study (by Wirtschafter & Majumder, 2023) shows that only about 12.5 per cent of all submitted notes are seen by the public, making most misleading content go unchecked. Further, many notes on divisive issues like politics and elections may not see the light of day since reaching a consensus on such topics is hard. This means that many misleading posts may not be publicly flagged at all, thereby hindering risk mitigation efforts. This casts aspersions on the model’s ability to check the virality of posts which can have adverse societal impacts, especially on vulnerable communities. On the other hand, the fact-checking model suffers from a lack of transparency, which has damaged user trust and led to allegations of bias. 

Since both models have their advantages and disadvantages, the future of misinformation control will require a hybrid approach. Data accuracy and polarization through social media are issues bigger than an exclusive tool or model can effectively handle. Thus, platforms can combine expert validation with crowdsourced input to allow for accuracy, transparency, and scalability. 

Conclusion 

Meta’s shift to a crowdsourced model of fact-checking is likely to have bigger implications on public discourse since social media platforms hold immense power in terms of how their policies affect politics, the economy, and societal relations at large.  This change comes against the background of sweeping cost-cutting in the tech industry, political changes in the USA and abroad, and increasing attempts to make Big Tech platforms more accountable in jurisdictions like the EU and Australia, which are known for their welfare-oriented policies. These co-occurring contestations are likely to inform the direction the development of misinformation-countering tactics will take.  Until then, the crowdsourcing model is still in development, and its efficacy is yet to be seen, especially regarding polarizing topics. 

References 

• https://www.cyberpeace.org/resources/blogs/new-youtube-notes-feature-to-help-users-add-context-to-videos
• https://en-gb.facebook.com/business/help/315131736305613?id=673052479947730
• http://techxplore.com/news/2025-01-meta-fact.html 
• https://about.fb.com/news/2025/01/meta-more-speech-fewer-mistakes/ 
• https://communitynotes.x.com/guide/en/about/introduction 
• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2025/01/14/do-community-notes-work/?utm_source=chatgpt.com 
• https://www.techpolicy.press/community-notes-and-its-narrow-understanding-of-disinformation/ 
• https://www.rstreet.org/commentary/metas-shift-to-community-notes-model-proves-that-we-can-fix-big-problems-without-big-government/ 
• https://tsjournal.org/index.php/jots/article/view/139/57 

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Introduction
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When Tamil Nadu Police arrested a man from Vellore in May 2026 on suspicion of being the point person helping Indian youth to be smuggled into cyber scam compounds in Cambodia, the papers led with the accused. They shouldn't have led with the accused but with the system. The arrest, one in a long string of them in Tamil Nadu, Madurai, and other states, is not simply another one-off policing victory. Rather, the arrest gives us an insight into a larger, darker world: an international criminal organisation that has successfully combined human trafficking and cybercrime, a new trend in criminality that specialists are calling 'cyber slavery.'
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What Is Cyber Slavery?

“Cyber slavery” involves trafficking persons under the pretence of employment, forcing them into committing online fraud to serve criminal enterprises. Victims are not merely victims of the work they are forced to do; they are often turned into culprits as they become complicit in victimising others. Trafficked victims are compelled to participate in frauds targeted at unsuspecting victims all around the globe. These activities, organised into robust criminal schemes, involve victims of sex or labour trafficking who are forced into operating romance scams or the so-called "pig butchering" scams that defraud people of their investment in cryptocurrency, all in heavily secured complexes guarded with threats of violence and torture. The extent of the problem is enormous, with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimating in a 2023 report that there are over 100,000 victims of cyber scam compounds in Cambodia and another 120,000 in Myanmar. Schemes throughout Southeast Asia were projected to commit as much as $39.9 billion in fraudulent schemes a year.
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Why Southeast Asia? The Geography of Organised Crime
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In order to answer why Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and the surrounding regions have developed into the cyber slavery hub of the world, we can draw together an array of structural reasons:

• Casino clampdown and crime diversification: Cambodia's ban on online gambling in 2019 broke down established casino-related criminal networks. This saw old casinos and Special Economic Zones turn into cyber scam compound operations.
• Corruption and state complicity: A pre-existing environment of corruption and involvement of politically linked figures permitted scamming networks to flourish, and the armed groups in the border areas of Myanmar are reportedly complicit in these operations through supplying land and protection for the networks to operate in.
• Poor governance in the border areas: The lack of state control in the frontier areas of Myanmar provided the criminal networks with a secure sanctuary in which they could operate with impunity and cross borders to escape crackdowns and move their operations.
• Post-pandemic growth: The economic stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in the supply of vulnerable individuals available to fill the scam networks, as well as unprecedented profit margins on scams.

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The Recruitment Pipeline: How Are Indian Youth Trapped?
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The typical journey from an Indian town or village to a locked compound in Southeast Asia follows the same narrative:

• The bait: On platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram, gangs lure with posts of lucrative overseas employment for IT work, customer service, data entry, and digital marketing with attractive, albeit feasible, pay packages (Rs. 80,000 to Rs. 1.5 lakh per month) and destinations such as Thailand and Singapore added for a veneer of genuineness.
• The recruiters: Local agents who gain trust, arrange visas and flight tickets, and collect the application fees are key intermediaries. Cases registered in Vellore and Madurai hint at recruitment agents receiving a commission for each person successfully smuggled into a trap, linked to larger travel and immigration networks.
• The lie: Victims are assured that they will be working legitimately in Thailand, but on reaching the border and crossing over, they find themselves pushed into scam compounds in neighbouring countries and have their passports, mobile phones and devices confiscated, thus rendering any escape attempt futile.
• The trap: In the interim, fake interviews, false job promises and convincing flight tickets serve to maintain the facade until the victims are forced to participate in cyber-fraud schemes.

The Architecture of Coercion: Life Inside the Scam Compounds
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It is in these compounds that the fates of the victims become known. Survivor accounts, investigations and UN human rights reports provide evidence of these circumstances. These compounds are often surrounded by barbed wire fences, monitored with cameras and heavily guarded. Once a potential victim is captured, they are stripped of their passports and any other electronic devices, preventing them from being able to contact the outside world or to escape. Workers are allocated stringent targets, ranging from the number of potential victims they must solicit for scams and the amount of money they must acquire through such scams. Failure to do so, or perceived disobedience, may lead to beatings, electroshock treatment, starvation and long periods in confinement. These beatings are supplemented with psychological torture, with scammers assuring their victims that they owe money for their journey, stay and training. This method of debt bondage keeps people at the compound even when the opportunity for escape is presented to them. The victims are then forced to take part in more complex online scams, which involve romance scams, fake investment scams, and impersonation scams using scripts and with supervision. In some cases, families will be encouraged to pay for their captive relatives' release by ransom, whereas those who refuse to comply or meet performance requirements may be sold and transferred to another compound as a piece of property within a transnational criminal network.
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Cybercrime Is No Longer Just About Hacking
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This emergency challenges the existing notion of cybercrime. The scam compound of Southeast Asia is not about a lonely hacker or a standalone breach; it is a form of organised cyber slavery in which trafficked individuals are made to commit financial fraud on an industrial level.

The probe of India's NIA found that recruitment is done in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Transport agents in Chennai and Madurai provide logistics, and Dubai and Bangkok act as transit points on the way to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It makes use of cryptocurrency wallets, shadow banking, and shell companies for the movement of funds across international borders. Companies such as the Huione Group has been accused of facilitating billions of dollars in financial transactions for scam infrastructure before receiving sanctions from the U.S.

To illustrate the threat landscape, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 19 entities spread across Myanmar and Cambodia and said that cyber scam operations looted $10 billion worth last year. Also, cryptocurrency transactions related to trafficking crimes jumped by 85% last year, which speaks to the expanding nature of the global criminal infrastructure.
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India's Exposure: A National Vulnerability
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The scale of exposure for India is large and expanding. The most likely victims are educated, and aspirational young men and women from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, seeking work abroad, which perfectly aligns with the primary target of such human trafficking networks.

Repeated incidents of people from Tamil Nadu falling victim to these networks have come to light. As far back as 2022, the chief minister wrote to the prime minister that close to 300 Indians, roughly 50 Tamils included, were being held in Myanmar. The Madurai-Cambodia case that came to light in 2026 revealed an entire network spanning Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, with authorities believing that thousands of Indians might have been trafficked there over the past three years. Such cases from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and some northern Indian states have been reported. Last year, India had to charter Air Force flights to rescue over 549 Indians from cyber scam centres along the Myanmar-Thailand border.

The Indian embassy in Phnom Penh assisted the Indian nationals along with the CBI, MEA, and NIA in the rescue of 67 Indians in September 2024; however, these operations are largely reactive in the face of the vast and evolving transboundary crisis.
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Prevention
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The best solution is awareness. The following are tangible signs that a job offer might be a lead to trafficking:

Red Flags within the job offer:

• Receiving unsolicited recruitment messages on WhatsApp, Telegram or Instagram from unknown numbers/contacts.
• Offer of unbelievably high salaries in undefined roles like ‘data entry,’ ‘online marketing’ or ‘customer service’ outside India.
• Request for upfront money to cover costs of visas, travel, accommodation, and training.
• Job offers to places in Thailand or Singapore involving complex transit routes through other countries.
• An interview process entirely through messaging apps, where the company has no real office address or registration number.
• Urgency and/or confidentiality required.

Verification:

• Check if the recruiter is registered on MEA's e-Migrate portal-this is a portal where MEA lists authorised overseas recruiters.
• Verify the authenticity of the company through its business registration with official registries in the foreign country.
• Contact the Indian Embassy/Consulate in that foreign country if something doesn't add up about the offer.
• Do not hand over your passport to your employer on arrival; it is standard practice for recruiters working as traffickers to confiscate it.

What to do if trapped:

• Contact the closest Indian embassy or consulate immediately.
• Call the MEA overseas helpline: 1800-11-3090.
• Lodge a report on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in).

Policy Imperatives
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On their own, individual consciousness cannot undo such a massive criminal infrastructure. India has to enforce the Emigration Act rigorously, implement mandatory licensing of recruitment agents and create a specialised task force consisting of NIA, CBI, MEA and the states’ cybercrime units. Pre-departure orientations should also become mandatory for migrant workers who go to Southeast Asia. Globally, India needs to work more closely with Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos via intel sharing protocols, victim repatriations and action against scam compounds. Financial probes must be on par with enforcement investigations to catch up with the perpetrators’ network, the cryptocurrency and hawala channels that facilitate money laundering and finance trafficking operations, as that would severely hit these networks.
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Conclusion
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This arrest of the recruiter in Vellore is just a small piece of a larger network. What we see in these instances is the marriage of cybercrime, trafficking, and financial fraud into a larger transnational ecosystem that systematically preys on the economic vulnerability of individuals. These young Indians are not simply falling for scams; they are being systematically targeted, recruited, trafficked, and forced into these criminal operations by a networked structure. The scam compounds in Cambodia and along the border of Myanmar and Thailand are only the end of a process that very likely starts with a convincing job offer on social media. Fighting cyber slavery will not be as simple as more arrests; we need education and international efforts, as well as policy responses that match the scope and scale of the problem.
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References
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1. https://the420.in/78415-2vellore-man-cambodia-cyber-slavery-trafficking-case/
2. https://the420.in/madhan-vadivel-cambodia-cyber-slavery-trafficking-racket-investigation/
3. https://www.newsonair.gov.in/tamil-nadu-police-arrest-key-recruiter-in-cambodia-cyber-slavery-racket/
4. https://kashmirdotcom.in/2026/05/16/cambodia-linked-human-trafficking-cyber-slavery-racket-nia-chargesheets-five-including-absconding-kingpin/
5. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/16/more-than-1000-arrested-in-cambodian-cyber-scam-raids
6. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/why-southeast-asias-online-scam-industry-is-so-hard-to-shut-down
7. https://www.cfr.org/articles/how-myanmar-became-global-center-cyber-scams
8. https://www.amlrightsource.com/resources/scam-states-the-cybercrime-corruption-complex-in-southeast-asia-and-the-collapse-of-anti-money-laundering-enforcement
9. https://newlinesinstitute.org/global-security-mil-priorities/cybercrimes-human-trafficking-and-cryptocurrency-in-southeast-asias-special-economic-zones/
10. https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2026/03/21/lured-by-jobs-sold-into-slavery-indias-crackdown-on-cyber-trafficking-continues.html

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Introduction

Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) was established by the Ministry of Home Affairs  (MHA) to provide a framework for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to deal with cybercrime in a coordinated and comprehensive manner. The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs approved a scheme for the establishment of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in October 2018.  I4C is actively working towards initiatives to combat the emerging threats in cyberspace and it has become a strong pillar of India’s cyber security and cybercrime prevention. The ‘National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal’ equipped with a 24x7 helpline number 1930,  is one of the key components of the I4C.

On 10 September 2024, I4Ccelebrated its foundation day for the first time at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.  This celebration marked a major milestone in India’s efforts against cybercrimes and in enhancing its cybersecurity infrastructure. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, launched key initiatives aimed at strengthening the country’s cybersecurity landscape.

Launch of Key Initiatives to Strengthen Cybersecurity

1. Cyber ​​Fraud Mitigation Centre (CFMC): As a     product of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision, the Cyber Fraud     Mitigation Centre (CFMC), was incorporated to bring together banks,     financial institutions, telecom companies, Internet Service Providers, and     law enforcement agencies on a single platform to tackle online financial     crimes efficiently. This integrated approach is     expected to minimise the time required to streamline operations and to     track and neutralise cyber fraud.
2. Cyber ​​Commando: The Cyber Commandos Program is an initiative in which     a specialised wing of trained Cyber Commandos will be established in     states, Union Territories, and Central Police Organizations. These     commandos will work to secure the nation’s digital space and counter     rising cyber threats. They will form the first line of defence in     safeguarding India from the growing cyber threats.
3. Samanvay Platform: The Samanvay platform is a web-based Joint Cybercrime     Investigation Facility System that was introduced as a one-stop data     repository for cybercrime. It facilitates cybercrime mapping, data     analytics, and cooperation among law enforcement agencies across the     country. This will play a pivotal role in fostering collaborations in     combating cybercrimes. Mr. Shah recognised the Samanvay platform as a     crucial step in fostering data sharing and collaboration. He called for a     shift from the “need to know” principle to a “duty to share” mindset in     dealing with cyber threats. The Samanvay platform will serve as India’s     first shared data repository, significantly enhancing the country’s     cybercrime response.
4. Suspect Registry: The Suspect Registry Portal is a national-level     platform that has been designed to track cybercriminals. The portal     registry will be connected to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal     (NCRP) which aims to help banks, financial intermediaries, and law enforcement     agencies strengthen fraud risk management. The     initiative is expected to improve the real-time tracking of cyber     suspects, preventing repeat offences and improving fraud detection     mechanisms.

Rising Digitalization: Prioritizing Cybersecurity

The number of internet users in India has grown from 25 crores in 2014 to 95 crores in 2024, accompanied by a 78-foldincrease in data consumption. This growth is echoed in the number of growing cybersecurity challenges in the digital era. With the rise of digital transactions through Jan Dhan accounts, Rupay debit cards, and UPI systems, Shri Shah underscored the growing threat of digital fraud. He emphasised the need to protect personal data, prevent online harassment, and counter misinformation, fake news, and child abuse in the digital space.

The three new criminal laws, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), which aim to strengthen India’s legal framework for cybercrime prevention, were also referred to in the address bythe Home Minister. These laws incorporate tech-driven solutions that will ensure investigations are conducted scientifically and effectively.

Mr. Shah emphasised popularising the 1930Cyber Crime Helpline. Additionally, he noted that I4C has issued over 600advisories, blocked numerous websites and social media pages operated by cybercriminals, and established a National Cyber Forensic Laboratory in Delhi. Over 1,100 officers have already received cyber forensics training under theI4C umbrella.

In response to the regional cybercrime challenges, the formation of Joint Cyber Coordination Teams in cybercrime hotspot areas like Mewat, Jamtara, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam and Guwahati was highlighted as a coordinated response to local cybercrime hotspot issues.

Conclusion

With the launch of initiatives like the Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre, the Samanvay platform, and the Cyber Commandos Program, I4C is positioned to play a crucial role in combating cybercrime. The I4C is moving forward with a clear vision for a secure digital future and safeguarding India's digital ecosystem.

References:

●     https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2053438

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