#FactCheck - AI-Generated Video of Peacock ‘Rescue’ Falsely Shared as Real
Executive Summary:
A video showing a peacock allegedly trapped in ice has been going viral on social media. In the clip, the peacock appears to be frozen in a snow-covered area. Moments later, a man is seen approaching with a hammer and breaking the ice to rescue the bird. Social media users are sharing the video as a real-life incident, praising the peacock’s resilience and describing the scene as inspiring. However, CyberPeace research found the viral claim to be misleading. Our research revealed that the video was created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is being falsely circulated as a real incident.
Claim:
Facebook user ‘Ras Bihari Pathak’ shared the viral video on January 25, 2026, with the caption: “This peacock is not standing on ice, but on courage. It reminds us that no matter how harsh the circumstances are, hope always returns in colours.” The archived version of the post can be accessed here.
Fact Check:
To verify the claim, we first conducted a keyword search on Google to check whether any such real incident involving a peacock trapped in ice had been reported. However, no credible or verified media reports were found. Next, we closely examined the viral video. Upon observation, the peacock’s movements and reactions appeared unnatural and artificial. The motion lacked realistic physical behaviour, raising suspicion that the video might have been digitally generated. To confirm this, we analysed the clip using the AI video detection tool Hive Moderation, which indicated a 99 per cent or higher likelihood that the video was AI-generated.
Conclusion:
CyberPeace research confirms that the viral video showing a peacock allegedly trapped in ice is not real. The clip has been created using Artificial Intelligence and is being shared on social media with a false and misleading claim.
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Introduction
With the rise of AI deepfakes and manipulated media, it has become difficult for the average internet user to know what they can trust online. Synthetic media can have serious consequences, from virally spreading election disinformation or medical misinformation to serious consequences like revenge porn and financial fraud. Recently, a Pune man lost ₹43 lakh when he invested money based on a deepfake video of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy. In another case, that of Babydoll Archi, a woman from Assam had her likeness deepfaked by an ex-boyfriend to create revenge porn.
Image or video manipulation used to leave observable traces. Online sources may advise examining the edges of objects in the image, checking for inconsistent patterns, lighting differences, observing the lip movements of the speaker in a video or counting the number of fingers on a person’s hand. Unfortunately, as the technology improves, such folk advice might not always help users identify synthetic and manipulated media.
The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA)
One interesting project in the area of trust-building under these circumstances has been the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA). Started in 2019 by Adobe and Microsoft, C2PA is a collaboration between major players in AI, social media, journalism, and photography, among others. It set out to create a standard for publishers of digital media to prove the authenticity of digital media and track changes as they occur.
When photos and videos are captured, they generally store metadata like the date and time of capture, the location, the device it was taken on, etc. C2PA developed a standard for sharing and checking the validity of this metadata, and adding additional layers of metadata whenever a new user makes any edits. This creates a digital record of any and all changes made. Additionally, the original media is bundled with this metadata. This makes it easy to verify the source of the image and check if the edits change the meaning or impact of the media. This standard allows different validation software, content publishers and content creation tools to be interoperable in terms of maintaining and displaying proof of authenticity.
The standard is intended to be used on an opt-in basis and can be likened to a nutrition label for digital media. Importantly, it does not limit the creativity of fledgling photo editors or generative AI enthusiasts; it simply provides consumers with more information about the media they come across.
Could C2PA be Useful in an Indian Context?
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2024, identifies India as a significant hotspot for misinformation. The recent AI Regulation report by MeitY indicates an interest in tools for watermarking AI-based synthetic content for ease of detecting and tracking harmful outcomes. Perhaps C2PA can be useful in this regard as it takes a holistic approach to tracking media manipulation, even in cases where AI is not the medium.
Currently, 26 India-based organisations like the Times of India or Truefy AI have signed up to the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), a community that contributes to the development and adoption of tools and standards like C2PA. However, people are increasingly using social media sites like WhatsApp and Instagram as sources of information, both of which are owned by Meta and have not yet implemented the standard in their products.
India also has low digital literacy rates and low resistance to misinformation. Part of the challenge would be showing people how to read this nutrition label, to empower people to make better decisions online. As such, C2PA is just one part of an online trust-building strategy. It is crucial that education around digital literacy and policy around organisational adoption of the standard are also part of the strategy.
The standard is also not foolproof. Current iterations may still struggle when presented with screenshots of digital media and other non-technical digital manipulation. Linking media to their creator may also put journalists and whistleblowers at risk. Actual use in context will show us more about how to improve future versions of digital provenance tools, though these improvements are not guarantees of a safer internet.
The largest advantage of C2PA adoption would be the democratisation of fact-checking infrastructure. Since media is shared at a significantly faster rate than it can be verified by professionals, putting the verification tools in the hands of people makes the process a lot more scalable. It empowers citizen journalists and leaves a public trail for any media consumer to look into.
Conclusion
From basic colour filters to make a scene more engaging, to removing a crowd from a social media post, to editing together videos of a politician to make it sound like they are singing a song, we are so accustomed to seeing the media we consume be altered in some way. The C2PA is just one way to bring transparency to how media is altered. It is not a one-stop solution, but it is a viable starting point for creating a fairer and democratic internet and increasing trust online. While there are risks to its adoption, it is promising to see that organisations across different sectors are collaborating on this project to be more transparent about the media we consume.
References
- https://c2pa.org/
- https://contentauthenticity.org/
- https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/kate-middleton-9-signs-edited-photo-9211799/
- https://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/fakes-frauds-and-forgeries-how-to-detect-image-manipulation--cms-22230
- https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/detect-fakes/overview/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO0WvudbO04&pp=0gcJCbAJAYcqIYzv
- https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf
- https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/ai-law-may-not-prescribe-penal-consequences-for-violations-9457780/
- https://thesecretariat.in/article/meity-s-ai-regulation-report-ambitious-but-no-concrete-solutions
- https://www.ndtv.com/lifestyle/assam-what-babydoll-archi-viral-fame-says-about-india-porn-problem-8878689
- https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2024/02/9f6e99572739a3024c9cdaec53a0a0ef.pdf
Executive Summary:
A video is being circulated on social media claiming that veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty has passed away. The viral clip shows actors Salman Khan and Govinda leaving in their respective cars. Social media users are sharing this footage while claiming that the actors were seen after the alleged demise of Mithun Chakraborty. However, research by the CyberPeace found the claim to be false. Our research revealed that Mithun Chakraborty is completely healthy and the claim about his death is misleading.
Claim
On March 6, 2026, an Instagram user shared the viral video claiming that actor Mithun Chakraborty had passed away.
Fact Check:
To verify the claim, we searched relevant keywords on Google. During this search, we did not find any credible media report confirming the death of Mithun Chakraborty.
We further checked the social media accounts of Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mahaakshay Chakraborty, but found no information related to the viral claim. This indicated that the posts circulating on social media about the actor’s death were false. To trace the origin of the viral footage, we extracted key frames from the video showing Salman Khan and Govinda and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. During the search, we found the clip featuring Salman Khan on the Facebook page of Times Now, posted on November 11, 2025.
According to the report, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan were seen leaving Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, where veteran actor Dharmendra had been admitted on November 10 after his health suddenly deteriorated. The clip featuring Govinda was also found on the website of Navbharat Times, published on November 11, 2025. According to the report, Govinda had arrived late at night at Breach Candy Hospital to visit Dharmendra after he was hospitalized due to health issues.
Conclusion
Our research found that the viral claim is false. Actor Mithun Chakraborty is alive and healthy. The video circulating on social media actually shows Salman Khan and Govinda visiting Breach Candy Hospital in November 2025 when actor Dharmendra was admitted, and it has been wrongly linked to Mithun Chakraborty’s death.
Executive Summary
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has called for a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a “Chalo Delhi” campaign at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday, October 10. Meanwhile, a video is being widely shared on social media showing a large number of people carrying saffron flags and walking on a road. The video is being shared with the claim that the people seen in it are members of Hindu organisations marching towards Jantar Mantar in large numbers to oppose the CJP’s proposed protest. CyberPeace Research found that the viral video is old and shows a procession held at Dogra Chowk in Jammu on the occasion of Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary.
Claim
A Facebook user shared the viral video with the caption,“News is coming that Hindu organisations have started a movement called the ‘Catch Cockroach Campaign’. Yes, they have given the campaign this name. A large number of people from Hindu organisations are leaving for Jantar Mantar. Brother Deepak... my free advice is... leave for America, because these are very ‘cruel people’ who can change 500 years of history in five hours... Jai Bhawani, Jai Shivaji, now it’s your turn.”The post link, archive link and screenshot are provided below.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1660133012350967&set=a.536762061354740
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we first conducted a reverse image search of a frame from the viral video using Google Lens. Through this search, we found the same video posted on an Instagram page named Rana Ashish Singh on February 21, 2023. However, the post did not provide any information that could help verify the actual origin or context of the video.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/Co61z_zMQr6/
In our further research, we found a higher-quality version of the viral video on the Instagram account ‘@anilgiri4659’, posted in February 2023. On closely analysing the video, we noticed the words “Jai Chandi Maa” written on one of the vehicles, while the number plate of another black vehicle displayed “JK” followed by some digits. We also noticed “Baker’s Avenue” written on the roof of a shop, with a signboard next to it bearing the words “Sport Music” in red. A white building with some black designs painted on it was also visible on the left side of the video. Further into the video, a red-coloured building could be seen. Based on these visual clues, we suspected that the video could be from Jammu and Kashmir.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/CpKOrGkv6SV/
Using these clues, we carried out a geolocation analysis to identify the location and road visible in the viral video. Our research found that the location shown in the viral video is Dogra Chowk in Prem Nagar, Jammu. To further verify this, a comparative analysis of the visuals from the viral video and the corresponding location can be seen in the graphics below.
We also found a clarification issued by the official X account of Bajrang Dal regarding the claim that its workers would gather at Jantar Mantar. The post also described the viral claim as misleading and clarified that there is no such plan from Bajrang Dal.
https://x.com/BajrangDalOrg/status/2108059565753536897
Conclusion
CyberPeace Research found that the viral video does not show a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi. Instead, it shows a procession at Dogra Chowk in Prem Nagar, Jammu, held in September 2022 on the occasion of Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary. Therefore, the claim that members of Hindu organisations are marching towards Jantar Mantar to oppose the CJP’s proposed protest is misleading.
