#Fact Old image of Hindu Priest with Donald trump at White house goes viral as recent.
Executive Summary:
Our Team recently came across a post on X (formerly twitter) where a photo widely shared with misleading captions was used about a Hindu Priest performing a vedic prayer at Washington after recent elections. After investigating, we found that it shows a ritual performed by a Hindu priest at a private event in White House to bring an end to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Always verify claims before sharing.
Claim:
An image circulating after Donald Trump’s win in the US election shows Pujari Harish Brahmbhatt at the White House recently.
Fact Check:
The analysis was carried out and found that the video is from an old post that was uploaded in May 2020. By doing a Reverse Image Search we were able to trace the sacred Vedic Shanti Path or peace prayer was recited by a Hindu priest in the Rose Garden of the White House on the occasion of National Day of Prayer Service with other religious leaders to pray for the health, safety and well-being of everyone affected by the coronavirus pandemic during those difficult days, and to bring an end to Covid-19 Pandemic.
Conclusion:
The viral claim mentioning that a Hindu priest performed a Vedic prayer at the White House during Donald Trump’s presidency isn’t true. The photo is actually from a private event in 2020 and provides misleading information.
Before sharing viral posts, take a brief moment to verify the facts. Misinformation spreads quickly and it’s far better to rely on trusted fact-checking sources.
- Claim: Hindu priest held a Vedic prayer at the White House under Trump
- Claimed On:Instagram and X (Formerly Known As Twitter)
- Fact Check: False and Misleading
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Introduction
Generative AI, particularly deepfake technology, poses significant risks to security in the financial sector. Deepfake technology can convincingly mimic voices, create lip-sync videos, execute face swaps, and carry out other types of impersonation through tools like DALL-E, Midjourney, Respeecher, Murf, etc, which are now widely accessible and have been misused for fraud. For example, in 2024, cybercriminals in Hong Kong used deepfake technology to impersonate the Chief Financial Officer of a company, defrauding it of $25 million. Surveys, including Regula’s Deepfake Trends 2024 and Sumsub reports, highlight financial services as the most targeted sector for deepfake-induced fraud.
Deepfake Technology and Its Risks to Financial Systems
India’s financial ecosystem, including banks, NBFCs, and fintech companies, is leveraging technology to enhance access to credit for households and MSMEs. The country is a leader in global real-time payments and its digital economy comprises 10% of its GDP. However, it faces unique cybersecurity challenges. According to the RBI’s 2023-24 Currency and Finance report, banks cite cybersecurity threats, legacy systems, and low customer digital literacy as major hurdles in digital adoption. Deepfake technology intensifies risks like:
- Social Engineering Attacks: Information security breaches through phishing, vishing, etc. become more convincing with deepfake imagery and audio.
- Bypassing Authentication Protocols: Deepfake audio or images may circumvent voice and image-based authentication systems, exposing sensitive data.
- Market Manipulation: Misleading deepfake content making false claims and endorsements can harm investor trust and damage stock market performance.
- Business Email Compromise Scams: Deepfake audio can mimic the voice of a real person with authority in the organization to falsely authorize payments.
- Evolving Deception Techniques: The usage of AI will allow cybercriminals to deploy malware that can adapt in real-time to carry out phishing attacks and inundate targets with increased speed and variations. Legacy security frameworks are not suited to countering automated attacks at such a scale.
Existing Frameworks and Gaps
In 2016, the RBI introduced cybersecurity guidelines for banks, neo-banking, lending, and non-banking financial institutions, focusing on resilience measures like Board-level policies, baseline security standards, data leak prevention, running penetration tests, and mandating Cybersecurity Operations Centres (C-SOCs). It also mandated incident reporting to the RBI for cyber events. Similarly, SEBI’s Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framework (CSCRF) applies to regulated entities (REs) like stock brokers, mutual funds, KYC agencies, etc., requiring policies, risk management frameworks, and third-party assessments of cyber resilience measures. While both frameworks are comprehensive, they require updates addressing emerging threats from generative AI-driven cyber fraud.
Cyberpeace Recommendations
- AI Cybersecurity to Counter AI Cybercrime: AI-generated attacks can be designed to overwhelm with their speed and scale. Cybercriminals increasingly exploit platforms like LinkedIn, Microsoft Teams, and Messenger, to target people. More and more organizations of all sizes will have to use AI-based cybersecurity for detection and response since generative AI is becoming increasingly essential in combating hackers and breaches.
- Enhancing Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): With improving image and voice-generation/manipulation technologies, enhanced authentication measures such as token-based authentication or other hardware-based measures, abnormal behaviour detection, multi-device push notifications, geolocation verifications, etc. can be used to improve prevention strategies. New targeted technological solutions for content-driven authentication can also be implemented.
- Addressing Third-Party Vulnerabilities: Financial institutions often outsource operations to vendors that may not follow the same cybersecurity protocols, which can introduce vulnerabilities. Ensuring all parties follow standardized protocols can address these gaps.
- Protecting Senior Professionals: Senior-level and high-profile individuals at organizations are at a greater risk of being imitated or impersonated since they hold higher authority over decision-making and have greater access to sensitive information. Protecting their identity metrics through technological interventions is of utmost importance.
- Advanced Employee Training: To build organizational resilience, employees must be trained to understand how generative and emerging technologies work. A well-trained workforce can significantly lower the likelihood of successful human-focused human-focused cyberattacks like phishing and impersonation.
- Financial Support to Smaller Institutions: Smaller institutions may not have the resources to invest in robust long-term cybersecurity solutions and upgrades. They require financial and technological support from the government to meet requisite standards.
Conclusion
According to The India Cyber Threat Report 2025 by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and Seqrite, deepfake-enabled cyberattacks, especially in the finance and healthcare sectors, are set to increase in 2025. This has the potential to disrupt services, steal sensitive data, and exploit geopolitical tensions, presenting a significant risk to the critical infrastructure of India.
As the threat landscape changes, institutions will have to continue to embrace AI and Machine Learning (ML) for threat detection and response. The financial sector must prioritize robust cybersecurity strategies, participate in regulation-framing procedures, adopt AI-based solutions, and enhance workforce training, to safeguard against AI-enabled fraud. Collaborative efforts among policymakers, financial institutions, and technology providers will be essential to strengthen defenses.
Sources
- https://sumsub.com/newsroom/deepfake-cases-surge-in-countries-holding-2024-elections-sumsub-research-shows/
- https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/10/31/2972565/0/en/Deepfake-Fraud-Costs-the-Financial-Sector-an-Average-of-600-000-for-Each-Company-Regula-s-Survey-Shows.html
- https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/2023-05/For%20Publication_BOfA_PollardCartier.pdf
- https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/deepfake-cfo-scam-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html
- https://www.rbi.org.in/Commonman/English/scripts/Notification.aspx?Id=1721
- https://elplaw.in/leadership/cybersecurity-and-cyber-resilience-framework-for-sebi-regulated-entities/
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/ai-driven-deepfake-enabled-cyberattacks-to-rise-in-2025-healthcarefinance-sectors-at-risk-report/articleshow/115976846.cms?from=mdr
2025 is knocking firmly at our door and we have promises to make and resolutions to keep. Time you make your list for the New Year and check it twice.
- Lifestyle targets 🡪 Check
- Family targets 🡪 Check
- Social targets 🡪 Check
Umm, so far so good, but what about your cybersecurity targets for the year? Hey, you look confused and concerned. Wait a minute, you do not have one, do you?
I get it. Though the digital world still puzzles, and sometimes outright scares us, we still are not in the ‘Take-Charge-Of-Your-Digital-Safety Mode. We prefer to depend on whatever software security we are using and keep our fingers crossed that the bad guys (read threat actors) do not find us.
Let me illustrate why cybersecurity should be one of your top priorities. You know that stress is a major threat to our continued good health, right? However, if your devices, social media accounts, office e-mail or network, or God forbid, bank accounts become compromised, would that not cause stress? Think about it and the probable repercussions and you will comprehend why I am harping on prioritising security.
Fret not. We will keep it brief as we well know you have 101 things to do in the next few days leading up to 01/01/2025. Just add cyber health to the list and put in motion the following:
- Install and activate comprehensive security software on ALL internet-enabled devices you have at home. Yes, including your smartphones.
- Set yourself a date to change and create separate unique passwords for all accounts. Or use the password manager that comes with all reputed security software to make life simpler.
- Keep home Wi-Fi turned off at night
- Do not set social media accounts to auto-download photos/documents
- Activate parental controls on all the devices used by your children to monitor and mentor them. But keep them apprised.
- Do not blindly trust anyone or anything online – this includes videos, speeches, emails, voice calls, and video calls. Be aware of fakes.
- Be aware of the latest threats and talk about unsafe cyber practices and behaviour often at home.
Short and sweet, as promised.
We will be back, with more tips, and answers to your queries. Drop us a line anytime, and we will be happy to resolve your doubts.
Ciao!
Introduction
Google’s search engine is widely known for its ability to tailor its search results based on user activity, enhancing the relevance of search outcomes. Recently, Google introduced the ‘Try Without Personalisation’ feature. This feature allows users to view results independent of their prior activity. This change marks a significant shift in platform experiences, offering users more control over their search experience while addressing privacy concerns.
However, even in this non-personalised mode, certain contextual factors including location, language, and device type, continue to influence results. This essentially provides the search with a baseline level of relevance. This feature carries significant policy implications, particularly in the areas of privacy, consumer rights, and market competition.
Understanding the Feature
When users engage with this option of non-personalised search, it will no longer show them helpful individual results that are personalisation-dependent and will instead provide unbiased search results. Essentially,this feature provides users with neutral (non-personalised) search results by bypassing their data.
This feature allows the following changes:
- Disables the user’s ability to find past searches in Autofill/Autocomplete.
- Does not pause or delete stored activity within a user’s Google account. Users, because of this feature, will be able to pause or delete stored activity through data and privacy controls.
- The feature doesn't delete or disable app/website preferences like language or search settings are some of the unaffected preferences.
- It also does not disable or delete the material that users save.
- When a user is signed in, they can ‘turn off the personalisation’ by clicking on the search option at the end of the webpage. These changes, offered by the feature, in functionality, have significant implications for privacy, competition, and user trust.
Policy Implications: An Analysis
This feature aligns with global privacy frameworks such as the GDPR in the EU and the DPDP Act in India. By adhering to principles like data minimisation and user consent, it offers users control over their data and the choice to enable or disable personalisation, thereby enhancing user autonomy and trust.
However, there is a trade-off between user expectations for relevance and the impartiality of non-personalised results. Additionally, the introduction of such features may align with emerging regulations on data usage, transparency, and consent. Policymakers play a crucial role in encouraging innovations like these while ensuring they safeguard user rights and maintain a competitive market.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
Google's 'Try Without Personalisation' feature represents a pivotal moment for innovation by balancing user privacy with search functionality. By aligning with global privacy frameworks such as the GDPR and the DPDP Act, it empowers users to control their data while navigating the complex interplay between relevance and neutrality. However, its success hinges on overcoming technical hurdles, fostering user understanding, and addressing competitive and regulatory scrutiny. As digital platforms increasingly prioritise transparency, such features could redefine user expectations and regulatory standards in the evolving tech ecosystem.
