#FactCheck - "Deep fake video falsely circulated as of a Syrian prisoner who saw sunlight for the first time in 13 years”
Executive Summary:
A viral online video claims to show a Syrian prisoner experiencing sunlight for the first time in 13 years. However, the CyberPeace Research Team has confirmed that the video is a deep fake, created using AI technology to manipulate the prisoner’s facial expressions and surroundings. The original footage is unrelated to the claim that the prisoner has been held in solitary confinement for 13 years. The assertion that this video depicts a Syrian prisoner seeing sunlight for the first time is false and misleading.
Claims:
A viral video falsely claims that a Syrian prisoner is seeing sunlight for the first time in 13 years.
Factcheck:
Upon receiving the viral posts, we conducted a Google Lens search on keyframes from the video. The search led us to various legitimate sources featuring real reports about Syrian prisoners, but none of them included any mention of such an incident. The viral video exhibited several signs of digital manipulation, prompting further investigation.
We used AI detection tools, such as TrueMedia, to analyze the video. The analysis confirmed with 97.0% confidence that the video was a deepfake. The tools identified “substantial evidence of manipulation,” particularly in the prisoner’s facial movements and the lighting conditions, both of which appeared artificially generated.
Additionally, a thorough review of news sources and official reports related to Syrian prisoners revealed no evidence of a prisoner being released from solitary confinement after 13 years, or experiencing sunlight for the first time in such a manner. No credible reports supported the viral video’s claim, further confirming its inauthenticity.
Conclusion:
The viral video claiming that a Syrian prisoner is seeing sunlight for the first time in 13 years is a deep fake. Investigations using tools like Hive AI detection confirm that the video was digitally manipulated using AI technology. Furthermore, there is no supporting information in any reliable sources. The CyberPeace Research Team confirms that the video was fabricated, and the claim is false and misleading.
- Claim: Syrian prisoner sees sunlight for the first time in 13 years, viral on social media.
- Claimed on: Facebook and X(Formerly Twitter)
- Fact Check: False & Misleading
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Introduction
The Indian Cabinet has approved a comprehensive national-level IndiaAI Mission with a budget outlay ofRs.10,371.92 crore. The mission aims to strengthen the Indian AI innovation ecosystem by democratizing computing access, improving data quality, developing indigenous AI capabilities, attracting top AI talent, enabling industry collaboration, providing startup risk capital, ensuring socially-impactful A projects, and bolstering ethical AI. The mission will be implemented by the'IndiaAI' Independent Business Division (IBD) under the Digital India Corporation (DIC) and consists of several components such as IndiaAI Compute Capacity, IndiaAI Innovation Centre (IAIC), IndiaAI Datasets Platform, India AI Application Development Initiative, IndiaAI Future Skills, IndiaAI Startup Financing, and Safe & Trusted AI over the next 5 years.
This financial outlay is intended to befulfilled through a public-private partnership model, to ensure a structured implementation of the IndiaAI Mission. The main objective is to create and nurture an ecosystem for India’s AI innovation. This mission is intended to act as a catalyst for shaping the future of AI for India and the world. AI has the potential to become an active enabler of the digital economy and the Indian government aims to harness its full potential to benefit its citizens and drive the growth of its economy.
Key Objectives of India's AI Mission
● With the advancements in data collection, processing and computational power, intelligent systems can be deployed in varied tasks and decision-making to enable better connectivity and enhance productivity.
● India’s AI Mission will concentrate on benefiting India and addressing societal needs in primary areas of healthcare, education, agriculture, smart cities and infrastructure, including smart mobility and transportation.
● This mission will work with extensive academia-industry interactions to ensure the development of core research capability at the national level. This initiative will involve international collaborations and efforts to advance technological frontiers by generating new knowledge and developing and implementing innovative applications.
The strategies developed for implementing the IndiaAI Mission are via Public-Private Partnerships, Skilling initiatives and AI Policy and Regulation. An example of the work towards the public-private partnership is the pre-bid meeting that the IT Ministry hosted on 29th August2024, which saw industrial participation from Nvidia, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud and Palo Alto Networks.
Components of IndiaAI Mission
The IndiaAI Compute Capacity: The IndiaAI Compute pillar will build a high-end scalable AI computing ecosystem to cater to India's rapidly expanding AI start-ups and research ecosystem. The ecosystem will comprise AI compute infrastructure of 10,000 or more GPUs, built through public-private partnerships. An AI marketplace will offer AI as a service and pre-trained models to AI innovators.
The IndiaAI Innovation Centre will undertake the development and deployment of indigenous Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) and domain-specific foundational models in critical sectors. The IndiaAI Datasets Platform will streamline access to quality on-personal datasets for AI innovation.
The IndiaAI Future Skills pillar will mitigate barriers to entry into AI programs and increase AI courses in undergraduate, master-level, and Ph.D. programs. Data and AI Labs will be set up in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India to impart foundational-level courses.
The IndiaAI Startup Financing pillar will support and accelerate deep-tech AI startups, providing streamlined access to funding for futuristic AI projects.
The Safe & Trusted AI pillar will enable the implementation of responsible AI projects and the development of indigenous tools and frameworks, self-assessment check lists for innovators, and other guidelines and governance frameworks by recognising the need for adequate guardrails to advance the responsible development, deployment, and adoption of AI.
CyberPeace Considerations for the IndiaAI Mission
● Data privacy and security are paramount as emerging privacy instruments aim to ensure ethical AI use. Addressing bias and fairness in AI remains a significant challenge, especially with poor-quality or tampered datasets that can lead to flawed decision-making, posing risks to fairness, privacy, and security.
● Geopolitical tensions and export control regulations restrict access to cutting-edge AI technologies and critical hardware, delaying progress and impacting data security. In India, where multilingualism and regional diversity are key characteristics, the unavailability of large, clean, and labeled datasets in Indic languages hampers the development of fair and robust AI models suited to the local context.
● Infrastructure and accessibility pose additional hurdles in India’s AI development. The country faces challenges in building computing capacity, with delays in procuring essential hardware, such as GPUs like Nvidia’s A100 chip, hindering businesses, particularly smaller firms. AI development relies heavily on robust cloud computing infrastructure, which remains in its infancy in India. While initiatives like AIRAWAT signal progress, significant gaps persist in scaling AI infrastructure. Furthermore, the scarcity of skilled AI professionals is a pressing concern, alongside the high costs of implementing AI in industries like manufacturing. Finally, the growing computational demands of AI lead to increased energy consumption and environmental impact, raising concerns about balancing AI growth with sustainable practices.
Conclusion
We advocate for ethical and responsible AI development adoption to ensure ethical usage, safeguard privacy, and promote transparency. By setting clear guidelines and standards, the nation would be able to harness AI's potential while mitigating risks and fostering trust. The IndiaAI Mission will propel innovation, build domestic capacities, create highly-skilled employment opportunities, and demonstrate how transformative technology can be used for social good and enhance global competitiveness.
References
● https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2012375
Introduction
India’s telecom regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), has directed telcos to block all unverified headers and message templates within 30 and 60 days, respectively, according to a press release. The regulator observed that telemarketers were ‘misusing’ headers and message templates of registered parties and asked telcos to reverify all registered headers & message templates on the DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform. All telecom service providers (TSP) have to comply with these directions, issued under the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018, within a month, TRAI said in its release. The directions were issued after TRAI held a meeting with telcos on February 17, 2023, to discuss quality of service (QoS) improvements, review of QoS standards, QoS of 5G services and unsolicited commercial communications”, as per its press release.
Why it matters?
It may be useful as it can ensure that all promotional messages are sent through registered telemarketers using only approved templates. It is no secret that the spam problem has been difficult to rein in, so the measure can restrict its proliferation and filter out telemarketers resorting to misuse.
Details about TRAI’s orders
The release said that telcos have to ensure that temporary headers are deactivated immediately after the time duration for which such headers were created. The telcos also have to ensure that there is no space to insert unwanted content in the template of a message where one can add content to be sent to people. Message recipients should not be confused, so telcos must ensure that they register no lookalike headers in the names of different senders.
Measures to check unregistered telemarketers
The release ordered telcos to bar telemarketers not registered on its DLT platform from accessing message templates and scrubbing them to deliver spam messages to recipients on the telco’s network. The telcos have been directed not to allow promotional messages to be sent by unregistered telemarketers or telemarketers using 10-digit telephone numbers. It added that telcos have to take action against erring telemarketers and share details of these telemarketers with other telcos, which will then be responsible for stopping these entities from sending commercial communications through their networks.
How big is the problem of spam?
A survey conducted by LocalCircles said that two out of every three people (66 per cent) in India get three or more spam calls daily. It added that not one person among thousands of respondents checked the box of ‘no spam’.
The platform said that it was a national survey which gathered over 56,000 responses from Indians located in 342 districts. It also found that 92 % of responders said they continue receiving spam despite opting for DND. The DND list is a feature where mobile subscriber can register their number to avoid getting unsolicited commercial communication (UCC).
Addressing the problem of spam
The regulatory body recently released a consultation paper that proposed the idea of providing the real name identity of callers to people receiving calls. The paper said that it would use a database containing each subscriber’s correct name to implement the caller name presentation (CNAP) service. The regulator wants to use details acquired by telecom service providers via customer acquisition forms (CAF).
TRAI formed a joint committee to look at the issue of phishing and cyber fraud in 2022. It included officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The telecom watchdog had laid out a plan to combat SMS and call spam using blockchain technology (DLT). It saw telecom companies and TRAI to build an encrypted and distributed database that will record user consent to be included in SMS or call send-out lists.
According to a press release, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the telecom regulator in India, has ordered carriers to block any unverified headers and message templates within 30 and 60 days, respectively.
The regulator saw that telemarketers were “misusing” registered parties’ headers and message templates. Thus, they requested that telecoms validate all of the registered headers and message templates on the DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform.
According to TRAI’s statement, all telecom service providers (TSP) must adhere to these directives within one month under the 2018 Telecom Commercial Communication Consumer Preference Rules. The guidelines were released following a conference with telcos convened by TRAI on February 17, 2023, to discuss quality of service (QoS) enhancements, a review of QoS standards, the QoS of 5G services, and unsolicited commercial communications.
Why it matters?
Requiring that only registered telemarketers send promotional communications using approved templates may prove to be a beneficial safeguard. It is no secret that the spam problem has been challenging to control, so the measure can limit its spread and screen out telemarketers that employ abusive tactics.
Information on the TRAI order
According to the press release, telecoms must ensure that temporary headers are deactivated as soon as the time period they were established has passed. The telecoms must also ensure that there is no room in the message template where one can add content to be sent to recipients for unwanted content. There should be no room for uncertainty among message recipients. Thus, telecoms must ensure that no similar-looking headers are registered under the identities of various senders.
Taking action against unregistered telemarketers In accordance with the directive, telcos must prevent telemarketers who are not registered on their DLT platform from obtaining message templates and using them to send spam to subscribers on their network. Telemarketers who are not registered or who use 10-digit phone numbers cannot send promotional messages, according to instructions given to telecoms. Telcos must take action against misbehaving telemarketers, it was noted, and divulge their information to other telecoms, who would be in charge of preventing these companies from transmitting commercial messages.
How widespread is the spam issue?
According to a LocalCircles poll, three or more spam calls are received every day by two out of every three Indians (66%) on average. It further stated that not a single one of the thousands of responses clicked the “no-spam” box. According to the platform, the survey was conducted nationally and received over 56,000 responses from Indians in 342 districts. Moreover, 92 % of respondents reported that even after choosing DND, they still receive spam. A mobile subscriber can register their number on the DND list to prevent receiving unsolicited commercial communication (UCC).
consultation document recently in which it recommended the concept of providing the genuine name identify of callers to persons receiving calls. The paper indicated that it would employ a database containing each subscriber’s correct name to implement the caller name presentation (CNAP) service. The regulator wants to use information collected by telecom service providers through client acquisition forms (CAF).
Conclusion
TRAI established a joint committee to examine the problem of phishing and cyber scams in 2022. Officials from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) were present (SEBI).
The telecom watchdog had outlined a strategy for leveraging blockchain technology to combat SMS and call spam (DLT).
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.
