Digitally Altered Photo of Rowan Atkinson Circulates on Social Media
Executive Summary:
A photo claiming that Mr. Rowan Atkinson, the famous actor who played the role of Mr. Bean, lying sick on bed is circulating on social media. However, this claim is false. The image is a digitally altered picture of Mr.Barry Balderstone from Bollington, England, who died in October 2019 from advanced Parkinson’s disease. Reverse image searches and media news reports confirm that the original photo is of Barry, not Rowan Atkinson. Furthermore, there are no reports of Atkinson being ill; he was recently seen attending the 2024 British Grand Prix. Thus, the viral claim is baseless and misleading.
Claims:
A viral photo of Rowan Atkinson aka Mr. Bean, lying on a bed in sick condition.
Fact Check:
When we received the posts, we first did some keyword search based on the claim made, but no such posts were found to support the claim made.Though, we found an interview video where it was seen Mr. Bean attending F1 Race on July 7, 2024.
Then we reverse searched the viral image and found a news report that looked similar to the viral photo of Mr. Bean, the T-Shirt seems to be similar in both the images.
The man in this photo is Barry Balderstone who was a civil engineer from Bollington, England, died in October 2019 due to advanced Parkinson’s disease. Barry received many illnesses according to the news report and his application for extensive healthcare reimbursement was rejected by the East Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group.
Taking a cue from this, we then analyzed the image in an AI Image detection tool named, TrueMedia. The detection tool found the image to be AI manipulated. The original image is manipulated by replacing the face with Rowan Atkinson aka Mr. Bean.
Hence, it is clear that the viral claimed image of Rowan Atkinson bedridden is fake and misleading. Netizens should verify before sharing anything on the internet.
Conclusion:
Therefore, it can be summarized that the photo claiming Rowan Atkinson in a sick state is fake and has been manipulated with another man’s image. The original photo features Barry Balderstone, the man who was diagnosed with stage 4 Parkinson’s disease and subsequently died in 2019. In fact, Rowan Atkinson seemed perfectly healthy recently at the 2024 British Grand Prix. It is important for people to check on the authenticity before sharing so as to avoid the spreading of misinformation.
- Claim: A Viral photo of Rowan Atkinson aka Mr. Bean, lying on a bed in a sick condition.
- Claimed on: X, Facebook
- Fact Check: Fake & Misleading
Related Blogs
Executive Summary:
The claim of a video of US President Joe Biden dozing off during a television interview is digitally manipulated . The original video is from a 2011 incident involving actor and singer Harry Belafonte. He seems to fall asleep during a live satellite interview with KBAK – KBFX - Eyewitness News. Upon thorough analysis of keyframes from the viral video, it reveals that US President Joe Biden’s image was altered in Harry Belafonte's video. This confirms that the viral video is manipulated and does not show an actual event involving President Biden.
Claims:
A video shows US President Joe Biden dozing off during a television interview while the anchor tries to wake him up.
Fact Check:
Upon receiving the posts, we watched the video then divided the video into keyframes using the inVid tool, and reverse-searched one of the frames from the video.
We found another video uploaded on Oct 18, 2011 by the official channel of KBAK - KBFX - Eye Witness News. The title of the video reads, “Official Station Video: Is Harry Belafonte asleep during live TV interview?”
The video looks similar to the recent viral one, the TV anchor could be heard saying the same thing as in the viral video. Taking a cue from this we also did some keyword searches to find any credible sources. We found a news article posted by Yahoo Entertainment of the same video uploaded by KBAK - KBFX - Eyewitness News.
Upon thorough investigation from reverse image search and keyword search reveals that the recent viral video of US President Joe Biden dozing off during a TV interview is digitally altered to misrepresent the context. The original video dated back to 2011, where American Singer and actor Harry Belafonte was the actual person in the TV interview but not US President Joe Biden.
Hence, the claim made in the viral video is false and misleading.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the viral video claiming to show US President Joe Biden dozing off during a television interview is digitally manipulated and inauthentic. The video is originally from a 2011 incident involving American singer and actor Harry Belafonte. It has been altered to falsely show US President Joe Biden. It is a reminder to verify the authenticity of online content before accepting or sharing it as truth.
- Claim: A viral video shows in a television interview US President Joe Biden dozing off while the anchor tries to wake him up.
- Claimed on: X (Formerly known as Twitter)
- Fact Check: Fake & Misleading
Executive Summary:
On 20th May, 2024, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and several others died in a helicopter crash that occurred northwest of Iran. The images circulated on social media claiming to show the crash site, are found to be false. CyberPeace Research Team’s investigation revealed that these images show the wreckage of a training plane crash in Iran's Mazandaran province in 2019 or 2020. Reverse image searches and confirmations from Tehran-based Rokna Press and Ten News verified that the viral images originated from an incident involving a police force's two-seater training plane, not the recent helicopter crash.
Claims:
The images circulating on social media claim to show the site of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash.
Fact Check:
After receiving the posts, we reverse-searched each of the images and found a link to the 2020 Air Crash incident, except for the blue plane that can be seen in the viral image. We found a website where they uploaded the viral plane crash images on April 22, 2020.
According to the website, a police training plane crashed in the forests of Mazandaran, Swan Motel. We also found the images on another Iran News media outlet named, ‘Ten News’.
The Photos uploaded on to this website were posted in May 2019. The news reads, “A training plane that was flying from Bisheh Kolah to Tehran. The wreckage of the plane was found near Salman Shahr in the area of Qila Kala Abbas Abad.”
Hence, we concluded that the recent viral photos are not of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's Chopper Crash, It’s false and Misleading.
Conclusion:
The images being shared on social media as evidence of the helicopter crash involving Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi are incorrectly shown. They actually show the aftermath of a training plane crash that occurred in Mazandaran province in 2019 or 2020 which is uncertain. This has been confirmed through reverse image searches that traced the images back to their original publication by Rokna Press and Ten News. Consequently, the claim that these images are from the site of President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash is false and Misleading.
- Claim: Viral images of Iranian President Raisi's fatal chopper crash.
- Claimed on: X (Formerly known as Twitter), YouTube, Instagram
- Fact Check: Fake & Misleading
On the occasion of 20th edition of Safer Internet Day 2023, CyberPeace in collaboration with UNICEF, DELNET, NCERT, and The National Book Trust (NBT), India, took steps towards safer cyberspace by launching iSafe Multimedia Resources, CyberPeace TV, and CyberPeace Café in an event held today in Delhi.
CyberPeace also showcased its efforts, in partnership with UNICEF, to create a secure and peaceful online world through its Project iSafe, which aims to bridge the knowledge gap between emerging advancements in cybersecurity and first responders. Through Project iSafe, CyberPeace has successfully raised awareness among law enforcement agencies, education departments, and frontline workers across various fields. The event marked a significant milestone in the efforts of the foundation to create a secure and peaceful online environment for everyone.
Launching the Cyberpeace TV, café and isafe material , National Cybersecurity coordinator of Govt of India, Lt Gen Rajesh Pant interacts with the students by introducing them with the theme of this safer internet day. He launched the coword cyber challenge initiative by the countries. Content is most important in cyberspace. He also assured everyone that the government of India is taking a lot of steps at national level to make cyber space safer. He compliments CPF for their initiatives.
Ms. Zafrin Chaudhry, Chief of Communication, UNICEF addresses students with the facts that children make out 1 out of 3 in cyberspace, so they should have a safe cyberspace. They should be informed and equipped with all the information on how to deal with any kind of issues they face in cyberspace. They should share their experience with everyone to make others aware. UNICEF in partnership with CPF is extending help to children to equip them with the help and information.
Major Vineet Kumar, Founder and Global President of CPF welcomed all and introduced us about the launching of iSafe Multimedia Resources, CyberPeace TV, and CyberPeace Café . With this launch he threw some light on upcoming plans like launching a learning module of metaverse with AR and VR. He wants to make cyberspace safe even in tier 3 cities that’s why he established the first cybercafé in Ranchi.
As the internet plays a crucial role in our lives, CyberPeace has taken action to combat potential cyber threats. They introduced CyberPeace TV, the world’s first multilingual TV Channel on Jio TV focusing on Education and Entertainment, a comprehensive online platform that provides the latest in cybersecurity news, expert analysis, and a community for all stakeholders in the field. CyberPeace also launched its first CyberPeace Café for creators and innovators and released the iSafe Multimedia resource containing Flyers, Posters, E hand book and handbook on digital safety for children developed jointly by CyberPeace, UNICEF and NCERT for the public.
O.P. Singh, Former DGP, UP Police & CEO Kailash Satyarthi foundation, , started with the data of internet users in India. The Internet is used in day-to -day activities nowadays and primarily in social media. Students should have a channelized approach to cyberspace like fixed screen time, information to the right content, and usage of the internet. I really appreciate the initiates that CyberPeace is taking in this direction.
The celebration continued by iSafe Panel Discussion on “Creating Safer Cyberspace for Children.” The discussion was moderated by Dr. Sangeeta Kaul, Director of DELNET, and was attended by panellists Mr. Rakesh Maheshwari from MeitY(Ministry of electronics and information Technology, Govt. of India), Dr. Indu Kumar from CIET-NCERT, Ms. Bindu Sharma from ICMEC, and Major Vineet Kumar from CyberPeace.
The event was also graced by professional artists from the National School of Drama, who performed Nukkad Natak and Qawwali based on cyber security themes. Students from SRDAV school also entertained the audience with their performances. The attendees were also given a platform to share their experiences with online security issues, and ICT Awardees, Parents and iSafe Champions shared their insights with the guests. The event also had stalls by CyberPeace Corps, a Global volunteer initiative, and CIET-NCERT for students to explore and join the cause. The event’s highlight was the 360 Selfie Booth, where attendees lined up to have their turn.
