#FactCheck : Edited video falsely claims Dr. Vikas Divyakirti targeted Narendra Modi
Executive Summary
A video circulating on social media shows Dr. Vikas Divyakirti speaking during a podcast, where he is heard saying, “Those who cannot even memorise and speak four sentences are considered the greatest in India.” Several users are sharing the clip claiming that the remark was aimed at Narendra Modi. However, a research by CyberPeace found the claim to be misleading. The research revealed that the viral clip has been edited and shared out of context. In the original video, Divyakirti made the remarks in reference to film stars, not the Prime Minister.
Claim
On Facebook, a user shared the viral clip with an English caption alleging that Divyakirti criticised Modi, saying he cannot speak without a teleprompter or scripted interviews and has built a false image of greatness.
Similarly, another user shared the video on X, suggesting that people who cannot speak without a teleprompter are still considered great in India, indirectly linking the remark to Modi.
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we extracted keyframes from the viral video and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. This led us to the original video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Raj Shamani.
At around the 3:55 mark, the same clip can be seen. During the conversation, Shamani asks whether building a larger-than-life perception actually benefits an individual. Responding to this, Dr. Vikas Divyakirti explains that film stars often have an exaggerated public image. He notes that many of the dialogues they are praised for are not written by them, but by others, and some even rely on teleprompters while speaking. He further adds that there are individuals who cannot even memorise and deliver four sentences or think independently, yet are regarded as great in India. He also mentions that many social media personalities use teleprompters, but audiences remain unaware and assume they possess exceptional knowledge.
Conclusion
The viral claim is misleading. The video has been edited and shared out of context. Dr. Vikas Divyakirti was referring to film stars and social media personalities, not Narendra Modi.
Related Blogs
Introduction
The Information Technology (IT) Ministry has tested a new parental control app called ‘SafeNet’ that is intended to be pre-installed in all mobile phones, laptops and personal computers (PCs). The government's approach shows collaborative efforts by involving cooperation between Internet service providers (ISPs), the Department of School Education, and technology manufacturers to address online safety concerns. Campaigns and the proposed SafeNet application aim to educate parents about available resources for online protection and safeguarding their children.
The Need for SafeNet App
SafeNet Trusted Access is an access management and authentication service that ensures no user is a target by allowing you to expand authentication to all users and apps with diverse authentication capabilities. SafeNet is, therefore, an arsenal of tools, each meticulously crafted to empower guardians in the art of digital parenting. With the finesse of a master weaver, it intertwines content filtering with the vigilant monitoring of live locations, casting a protective net over the vulnerable online experiences of the children. The ability to oversee calls and messages adds another layer of security, akin to a watchful sentinel standing guard over the gates of communication. Some pointers regarding the parental control app that can be taken into consideration are as follows.
1. Easy to use and set up: The app should be useful, intuitive, and easy to use. The interface plays a significant role in achieving this goal. The setup process should be simple enough for parents to access the app without any technical issues. Parents should be able to modify settings and monitor their children's activity with ease.
2. Privacy and data protection: Considering the sensitive nature of children's data, strong privacy and data protection measures are paramount. From the app’s point of view, strict privacy standards include encryption protocols, secure data storage practices, and transparent data handling policies with the right of erasure to protect and safeguard the children's personal information from unauthorized access.
3. Features for Time Management: Effective parental control applications frequently include capabilities for regulating screen time and establishing use limitations. The app will evaluate if the software enables parents to set time limits for certain applications or devices, therefore promoting good digital habits and preventing excessive screen time.
4. Comprehensive Features of SafeNet: The app's commitment to addressing the multifaceted aspects of online safety is reflected in its robust features. It allows parents to set content filters with surgical precision, manage the time their children spend in the digital world, and block content that is deemed age-inappropriate. This reflects a deep understanding of the digital ecosystem's complexities and the varied threats that lurk within its shadows.
5. Adaptable to the needs of the family: In a stroke of ingenuity, SafeNet offers both parent and child versions of the app for shared devices. This adaptability to diverse family dynamics is not just a nod to inclusivity but a strategic move that enhances its usability and effectiveness in real-world scenarios. It acknowledges the unique tapestry of family structures and the need for tools that are as flexible and dynamic as the families they serve.
6. Strong Support From Government: The initiative enjoys a chorus of support from both government and industry stakeholders, a symphony of collaboration that underscores the collective commitment to the cause. Recommendations for the pre-installation of SafeNet on devices by an industry consortium resonate with the directives from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO),creating a harmonious blend of policy and practice. The involvement of major telecommunications players and Internet service providers underscores the industry's recognition of the importance of such initiatives, emphasising a collaborative approach towards deploying digital safeguarding measures at scale.
Recommendations
The efforts by the government to implement parental controls a recommendable as they align with societal goals of child welfare and protection. This includes providing parents with tools to manage and monitor their children's Internet usage to address concerns about inappropriate content and online risks. The following suggestions are made to further support the government's initiative:
1. The administration can consider creating a verification mechanism similar to how identities are verified when mobile SIMS are issued. While this certainly makes for a longer process, it will help address concerns about the app being misused for stalking and surveillance if it is made available to everyone as a default on all digital devices.
2. Parental controls are available on several platforms and are designed to shield, not fetter. Finding the right balance between protection and allowing for creative exploration is thus crucial to ensuring children develop healthy digital habits while fostering their curiosity and learning potential. It might be helpful to the administration to establish updated policies that prioritise the privacy-protection rights of children so that there is a clear mandate on how and to what extent the app is to be used.
3. Policy reforms can be further supported through workshops, informational campaigns, and resources that educate parents and children about the proper use of the app, the concept of informed consent, and the importance of developing healthy, transparent communication between parents and children.
Conclusion
Safety is a significant step towards child protection and development. Children have to rely on adults for protection and cannot identify or sidestep risk. In this context, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasises the matter of protection efforts for children, which notes that children have the "right to protection". Therefore, the parental safety app will lead to significant concentration on the general well-being and health of the children besides preventing drug misuse. On the whole, while technological solutions can be helpful, one also needs to focus on educating people on digital safety, responsible Internet use, and parental supervision.
References
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/itministry-tests-parental-control-app-progress-to-be-reviewed-today-101710702452265.html
- https://www.htsyndication.com/ht-mumbai/article/it-ministry-tests-parental-control-app%2C-progress-to-be-reviewed-today/80062127
- https://www.varindia.com/news/it-ministry-to-evaluate-parental-control-software
- https://www.medianama.com/2024/03/223-indian-government-to-incorporate-parental-controls-in-data-usage/
Executive Summary:
A video showing poor runway visibility from inside an aircraft cockpit is being widely shared on social media, linking it to an alleged aircraft accident involving Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Baramati on January 28, 2025. Users claim that the footage captured the final moments before the crash, suggesting that the runway visibility disappeared just seconds before landing. However, research conducted by the CyberPeace found the viral claim to be misleading. The research revealed that the video has no connection to any aircraft accident involving Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. In reality, the video dates back to 2013 and shows a pilot attempting to land an aircraft amid heavy rain. During the approach, the runway briefly disappears from the pilot’s view, prompting the pilot to abort the landing and execute a go-around. The aircraft later lands safely after weather conditions improve.
Claim
An Instagram user shared the viral video on January 29, 2026, claiming:“Baramati plane crash: video of the aircraft accident surfaces. Runway disappears just three seconds before landing.” (The link to the post, its archived version, and screenshots are provided below.)
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we extracted keyframes from the viral video and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. The search led us to the same video uploaded on a YouTube channel named douglesso, which was published on June 12, 2013. (Footage link and screenshot available below.)
Further research led us to a report published by the American media website CNET, which featured the same visual. According to the report, the video shows a Boeing Business Jet attempting to land during heavy rainfall. The aircraft was conducting a CAT I Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach when a sudden downpour drastically reduced visibility at decision height. As the runway briefly disappeared from view, the pilots aborted the landing and carried out a go-around. The aircraft later landed safely once weather conditions improved. (The link to the CNET report and its screenshot are provided below.)
- https://www.cnet.com/culture/this-is-what-happens-when-a-plane-is-landing-and-the-runway-disappears/
Conclusion
Our research confirms that the video circulating on social media is unrelated to any recent aircraft accident involving Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The clip is an old video from 2013, which is now being shared with a false and misleading claim.
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Executive Summary:
On July 4, 2024, a giant password dump, “RockYou2024” was posted on a cybercrime marketplace containing 9,948,575,739 plain-text credentials. This blog explains the technical aspects of this leakage and its consequences in the sphere of information security.
RockYou2024 is a list of passwords obtained from different data breaches ranging over the course of more than twenty years. It integrates older passwords with the lexical database with the additional passwords from the recent hacks, thereby, cumulating the database of genuine and existing passwords. The compilation is said to contain data from more than 4,000 databases putting the tool in the hands of potential attackers. RockYou owns the name to this type of attack since a data breach attacked a social media company named , “RockYou'' and released 3.2 million users’ passwords as a .txt file. Since then, the term gained a common meaning connected with mass password data breaches.
Technical Implications:
- Credential Stuffing Attacks: The RockYou2024 list comprises a great number of actual passwords that increases the likelihood of credential stuffing attacks. With this, the attackers help themselves with an opportunity to try to gain unlawful access into several online accounts that a user may have, particularly ones where an individual re-uses the same password.
- Brute-Force Attacks: The collection is extensive for brute force attack on systems that have no protection against such exercise. This is especially the case for devices and services that are exposed to the internet and which may use either weak or factory-set alphanumeric codes.
- Password Cracking: Web compilations that include such lists are often employed by security specialists and penetration testers who use John the Ripper or Hashcat to check the password’s strength or the system’s susceptibility to attacks.
- Machine Learning Models: The dataset could be used to create machine learning models for password prediction or analysis, which would only lead to further better methods to be used in the attacks.
Countermeasures / Mitigation:
Below are the technical risk/process operating proposed to reduce the risks associated with RockYou2024:
- Password Hashing: It is necessary to ensure that all the passwords required to be saved should be encrypted in one of the most secure algorithms like bcrypt, Argon2, or PBKDF2 along with a reasonable number of iterations.
- Salt and Pepper: The features for both salting and peppering should also be enabled to complicate the cracking of passwords even after the hashed password databases have been procured.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Ensure the usage of complex passwords in addition to deploying MFA across all the technological systems and services within the company.
- Password Strength Policies: Adhere to password policies for features like the length, strength of the passwords and the change in password frequency.
- Rate Limiting and Account Lockouts: Inactivity methods must be used on consecutive attempts to log in and to the temporary lock out after so many attempts in a bid to discourage brute force attacks.
- Monitoring and Alerting: There should be measures in place to monitor for any violations such as login tappings or a form of credential stuffings and there should be alerts, where securities risks are likely to arise, in real time.
- API Security: The following proper API security measures that will result in the prevention of the following attacks; rate limiting, input validation, and token.
- Web Application Firewalls (WAF): To defend against threats from the internet for potential credential stuffing or brute-forcing the authentication process, utilize WAFs to operate at the application layer.
Analyzing the Impact:
To understand the potential impact of RockYou2024, organizations should assess the possible effects of RockYou2024, such as:
- Conduct Password Audits: LeakYou2024 scan current passwords database with RockYou2024 (in ethical and safe methods) and see which accounts have been compromised.
- Implement Continuous Monitoring: If this is a monthly or weekly event then there must be new information on data breaches and act on it concerning new security changes.
- Educate Users: Continued security consciousness training, regarding the effective protection of an individual’s password in combination with a password generator.
- Perform Penetration Testing: It is suggested to conduct penetration testing at least twice a year to find out if there are vulnerabilities in the systems and applications in the current use.
Conclusion:
The RockYou2024 leaked password database is a serious security risk; it contains almost 10 billion account credentials. This unprecedented leak further increases the exposure to credential stuffing, brute force and password cracking attacks. To deal with these threats, organizations need to have measures that include password hashing, multi-factor authentication, password strengthening and password audit. Patching, user awareness, bandit activities are imperative to prevent future invasions and strengthen the cyber security posture.
References :
- https://statanalytica.com/blog/rockyou-2024-txt-password/
- https://dig.watch/updates/rockyou2024-password-leak-exposes-nearly-10-billion-unique-passwords
- https://complexdiscovery.com/rockyou2024-leak-nearly-10-billion-passwords-exposed-heightening-cybersecurity-risks-for-businesses/
