#FactCheck - "Viral Video Misleadingly Claims Surrender to Indian Army, Actually Shows Bangladesh Army”
Executive Summary:
A viral video has circulated on social media, wrongly showing lawbreakers surrendering to the Indian Army. However, the verification performed shows that the video is of a group surrendering to the Bangladesh Army and is not related to India. The claim that it is related to the Indian Army is false and misleading.
Claims:
A viral video falsely claims that a group of lawbreakers is surrendering to the Indian Army, linking the footage to recent events in India.
Fact Check:
Upon receiving the viral posts, we analysed the keyframes of the video through Google Lens search. The search directed us to credible news sources in Bangladesh, which confirmed that the video was filmed during a surrender event involving criminals in Bangladesh, not India.
We further verified the video by cross-referencing it with official military and news reports from India. None of the sources supported the claim that the video involved the Indian Army. Instead, the video was linked to another similar Bangladesh Media covering the news.
No evidence was found in any credible Indian news media outlets that covered the video. The viral video was clearly taken out of context and misrepresented to mislead viewers.
Conclusion:
The viral video claiming to show lawbreakers surrendering to the Indian Army is footage from Bangladesh. The CyberPeace Research Team confirms that the video is falsely attributed to India, misleading the claim.
- Claim: The video shows miscreants surrendering to the Indian Army.
- Claimed on: Facebook, X, YouTube
- Fact Check: False & Misleading
Related Blogs
Introduction
The 2023-24 annual report of the Union Home Ministry states that WhatsApp is among the primary platforms being targeted for cyber fraud in India, followed by Telegram and Instagram. Cybercriminals have been conducting frauds like lending and investment scams, digital arrests, romance scams, job scams, online phishing etc., through these platforms, creating trauma for victims and overburdening law enforcement, which is not always the best equipped to recover their money. WhatsApp’s scale, end-to-end encryption, and ease of mass messaging make it both a powerful medium of communication and a vulnerable target for bad actors. It has over 500 million users in India, which makes it a primary subject for scammers running illegal lending apps, phishing schemes, and identity fraud.
Action Taken by Whatsapp
As a response to this worrying trend and in keeping with Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, [updated as of 6.4.2023], WhatsApp has been banning millions of Indian accounts through automated tools, AI-based detection systems, and behaviour analysis, which can detect suspicious activity and misuse. In July 2021, it banned over 2 million accounts. By February 2025, this number had shot up to over 9.7 million, with 1.4 million accounts removed proactively, that is, before any user reported them. While this may mean that the number of attacks has increased, or WhatsApp’s detection systems have improved, or both, what it surely signals is the acknowledgement of a deeper, systemic challenge to India’s digital ecosystem and the growing scale and sophistication of cyber fraud, especially on encrypted platforms.
CyberPeace Insights
- Under Rule 4(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021, significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs) are required to implement automated tools to detect harmful content. But enforcement has been uneven. WhatsApp’s enforcement action demonstrates what effective compliance with proactive moderation can look like because of the scale and transparency of its actions.
- Platforms must treat fraud not just as a content violation but as a systemic abuse of the platform’s infrastructure.
- India is not alone in facing this challenge. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), for instance, mandates large platforms to conduct regular risk assessments, maintain algorithmic transparency, and allow independent audits of their safety mechanisms. These steps go beyond just removing bad content by addressing the design of the platform itself. India can draw from this by codifying a baseline standard for fraud detection, requiring platforms to publish detailed transparency reports, and clarifying the legal expectations around proactive monitoring. Importantly, regulators must ensure this is done without compromising encryption or user privacy.
- WhatsApp’s efforts are part of a broader, emerging ecosystem of threat detection. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) is now sharing threat intelligence with platforms like Google and Meta to help take down scam domains, malicious apps, and sponsored Facebook ads promoting illegal digital lending. This model of public-private intelligence collaboration should be institutionalized and scaled across sectors.
Conclusion: Turning Enforcement into Policy
WhatsApp’s mass account ban is not just about enforcement but an example of how platforms must evolve. As India becomes increasingly digital, it needs a forward-looking policy framework that supports proactive monitoring, ethical AI use, cross-platform coordination, and user safety. The digital safety of users in India and those around the world must be built into the architecture of the internet.
References
- https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.8562-6/486805827_1197340372070566_282096906288453586_n.pdf?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=b8d81d&_nc_ohc=BRGwyxF87MgQ7kNvwHyyW8u&_nc_oc=AdnNG2wXIN5F-Pefw_FTt2T4K6POllUyKpO7nxwzCWxNgQEkVLllHmh81AHT2742dH8&_nc_zt=14&_nc_ht=scontent.xx&_nc_gid=iaQzNQ8nBZzxuIS4rXLOkQ&oh=00_AfEnbac47YDXvymJ5vTVB-gXteibjpbTjY5uhP_sMN9ouw&oe=67F95BF0
- https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.8562-6/217535270_342765227288666_5007519467044742276_n.pdf?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=b8d81d&_nc_ohc=aj6og9xy5WQQ7kNvwG9Vzkd&_nc_oc=AdnDtVbrQuo4lm3isKg5O4cw5PHkp1MoMGATVpuAdOUUz-xyJQgWztGV1PBovGACQ9c&_nc_zt=14&_nc_ht=scontent.xx&_nc_gid=gabMfhEICh_gJFiN7vwzcA&oh=00_AfE7lXd9JJlEZCpD4pxW4OOc03BYcp1e3KqHKN9-kaPGMQ&oe=67FD6FD3
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/whatsapp-is-most-used-platform-for-cyber-crimes-home-ministry-report-101735719475701.html
- https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/whatsapp-bans-over-97-lakhs-indian-accounts-to-protect-users-from-scam-2702781-2025-04-02
Executive Summary:
A video online alleges that people are chanting "India India" as Ohio Senator J.D. Vance meets them at the Republican National Convention (RNC). This claim is not correct. The CyberPeace Research team’s investigation showed that the video was digitally changed to include the chanting. The unaltered video was shared by “The Wall Street Journal” and confirmed via the YouTube channel of “Forbes Breaking News”, which features different music performing while Mr. and Mrs. Usha Vance greeted those present in the gathering. So the claim that participants chanted "India India" is not real.
Claims:
A video spreading on social media shows attendees chanting "India-India" as Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance greet them at the Republican National Convention (RNC).
Fact Check:
Upon receiving the posts, we did keyword search related to the context of the viral video. We found a video uploaded by The Wall Street Journal on July 16, titled "Watch: J.D. Vance Is Nominated as Vice Presidential Nominee at the RNC," at the time stamp 0:49. We couldn’t hear any India-India chants whereas in the viral video, we can clearly hear it.
We also found the video on the YouTube channel of Forbes Breaking News. In the timestamp at 3:00:58, we can see the same clip as the viral video but no “India-India” chant could be heard.
Hence, the claim made in the viral video is false and misleading.
Conclusion:
The viral video claiming to show "India-India" chants during Ohio Senator J.D. Vance's greeting at the Republican National Convention is altered. The original video, confirmed by sources including “The Wall Street Journal” and “Forbes Breaking News” features different music without any such chants. Therefore, the claim is false and misleading.
Claim: A video spreading on social media shows attendees chanting "India-India" as Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha Vance greet them at the Republican National Convention (RNC).
Claimed on: X
Fact Check: Fake & Misleading
On June 5th, the world comes together to reflect on how the way we live impacts the environment. We discuss conserving water, cutting back on plastic, and planting trees, but how often do we think about the environmental impact of our digital lives?
The internet is ubiquitous but invisible in a world that is becoming more interconnected by the day. It drives our communications, meetings, and recollections. However, there is a price for this digital convenience: carbon emissions.
A Digital Carbon Footprint: What Is It?
Electricity is necessary for every video we stream, email we send, and file we store on the cloud. But almost 60% of the electricity produced today is generated from burning fossil fuels. The digital world uses an incredible amount of energy, from the energy-hungry data centres that house our information to the networks that send it. Thus, the greenhouse gas emissions produced by our use of digital tools and services are referred to as our "digital carbon footprint."
To put it in perspective:
- Up to 150–200 grams of CO₂ can be produced by streaming an hour-long HD video on your phone.
- A typical email sent can release about 4 grams of CO₂, and more if it contains attachments.
- Comparable to the airline industry, the internet as a whole accounts for 1.5% to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Why It Matters
Ironically, despite the fact that digital life frequently feels "clean" and weightless, it is backed by enormous, power-hungry infrastructures. Additionally, our online activity is growing at a rapid pace as digital penetration increases. Plus, with the advent of AI and big data, the demand for energy is only going to rise. The harms of air, water, and soil degradation, and biodiversity loss are already upon us. It's high time we reconsider how we use technology on World Environment Day.
What Can You Do?
The good news is that even minor adjustments to our online conduct can have an impact.
🗑️ Clear out your digital clutter by getting rid of unnecessary emails, apps, and files.
📥 Unsubscribe from mailing lists that you no longer use.
📉 When HD is not required, stream videos with lower quality.
⚡ Make use of energy-saving gadgets and disconnect them when not in use.
🌐 Make the move to renewable energy-powered, environmentally friendly cloud providers.
🗳️ Support informed policy by engaging with your elected representatives and advocating for greener tech policies. Knowing your digital rights and responsibilities can help shape smarter policies and a healthier planet.
We at the CyberPeace Foundation think that cyberspace needs to be sustainable. An eco-friendly digital world is also a safer one, where all communities can thrive in harmony. We must promote digital responsibility, including its environmental component, as we work towards digital equity and resilience.
On this World Environment Day, let's go one step further and work towards a greener internet as well as a greener planet.
