#FactCheck - Viral Video Claiming Attack on Burj Khalifa is AI-Generated

Introduction

26th November 2024 marked a historical milestone for India as a Hyderabad-based space technology firm TakeMe2Space, announced the forthcoming launch of MOI-TD “(My Orbital Infrastructure - Technology Demonstrator)”, India's first AI lab in space. The mission will demonstrate real-time data processing in orbit, making space research more affordable and accessible according to the Company. The launch is scheduled for mid-December 2024 aboard the ISRO's PSLV C60 launch vehicle. It represents a transformative phase for innovation and exploration in India's AI and space technology integration space. 

The Vision Behind the Initiative

The AI Laboratory in orbit is designed to enable autonomous decision-making, revolutionising satellite exploration and advancing cutting-edge space research. It signifies a major step toward establishing space-based data centres, paving the way for computing capabilities that will support a variety of applications. 

While space-based data centres currently cost 10–15 times more than terrestrial alternatives, this initiative leverages high-intensity solar power in orbit to significantly reduce energy consumption. Training AI models in space could lower energy costs by up to 95% and cut carbon emissions by at least tenfold, even when factoring in launch emissions. It positions MOI-TD as an eco-friendly and cost-efficient solution.

Technological Innovations and Future Impact of AI in Space

This AI Laboratory, MOI-TD includes control software and hardware components, including reaction wheels, magnetometers, an advanced onboard computer, and an AI accelerator. The satellite also features flexible solar cells that could power future satellites. It will enable the processing of real-time space data, pattern recognition, and autonomous decision-making and address the latency issues, ensuring faster and more efficient data analysis, while the robust hardware designs tackle the challenges posed by radiation and extreme space environments. Advanced sensor integration will further enhance data collection, facilitating AI model training and validation.

These innovations drive key applications with transformative potential. It will allow users to access the satellite platform through OrbitLaw, a web-based console that will allow users to upload AI models to aid climate monitoring, disaster prediction, urban growth analysis and custom Earth observation use cases. TakeMe2Space has already partnered with a leading Malaysian university and an Indian school (grades 9 and 10) to showcase the satellite’s potential for democratizing space research. 

Future Prospects and India’s Global Leadership in AI and Space Research 

As per Stanford’s HAI Global AI Vibrancy rankings, India secured 4th place due to its R&D leadership, vibrant AI ecosystem, and public engagement for AI. This AI laboratory is a step further in advancing India’s role in the development of regulatory frameworks for ethical AI use, fostering robust public-private partnerships, and promoting international cooperation to establish global standards for AI applications. 

Cost-effectiveness and technological exercise are some of India’s unique strengths and could position the country as a key player in the global AI and space research arena and draw favourable comparisons with initiatives by NASA, ESA, and private entities like SpaceX. By prioritising ethical and sustainable practices and fostering collaboration, India can lead in shaping the future of AI-driven space exploration.

Conclusion

India’s first AI laboratory in space, MOI-TD, represents a transformative milestone in integrating AI with space technology. This ambitious project promises to advance autonomous decision-making, enhance satellite exploration, and democratise space research. Additionally, factors such as data security, fostering international collaboration and ensuring sustainability should be taken into account while fostering such innovations. With this, India can establish itself as a leader in space research and AI innovation, setting new global standards while inspiring a future where technology expands humanity’s frontiers and enriches life on Earth.

References

• https://www.ptinews.com/story/national/start-up-to-launch-ai-lab-in-space-in-december/2017534 
• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/spacetech-startup-takeme2space-to-launch-ai-lab-in-space-in-december/articleshow/115701888.cms?from=mdr 
• https://www.ibm.com/think/news/data-centers-space ‍
• https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/amp/news/next-gen-technologies/spacetech-startup-takeme2space-to-launch-ai-lab-in-space-in-december/115718230

Executive Summary 

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The U.S. Department of Justice recently released nearly three million pages of documents, along with thousands of videos and photographs, related to its research into convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, a video showing a massive crowd protesting on a street is going viral on social media The video, which had earlier circulated with false claims linking it to anti-government protests in Iran, is now being shared by several users who claim that the protest took place in the United States after the release of the Epstein files. Research by CyberPeace found the viral claim to be false. The video being linked to protests in the United States following the release of the Epstein files is not real and was generated using artificial intelligence (AI).

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Claim:

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An Instagram user uploaded the viral video on February 9, 2026, with the caption: “After Epstein files released in America. All eyes on America.”

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• https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUjLe-XE5lA
• https://ghostarchive.org/archive/tkP6W

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Fact Check:

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To verify the claim, we first conducted a reverse search of the viral video using Google Lens. The same video was found posted on January 10, 2026, by an Instagram account named “elnaz555,” where it was shared in the context of recent protests in Iran. The post also mentioned that the video was created using AI.

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Based on this lead, we further analyzed a higher-quality version of the viral video using Hive Moderation, a tool used to detect AI-generated images and videos. The analysis indicated a 97.9% probability that the video was generated using artificial intelligence. The research clearly shows that the video is not authentic and has been falsely linked to protests in the United States after the release of the Epstein files.

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Conclusion:

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The claim circulating on social media is false. The viral video allegedly showing protests in the United States following the release of the Epstein files is AI-generated and not related to any real event.

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Introduction

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Did you know that millions of workers today earn their livelihood through digital platforms such as Uber, Lyft, Deliveroo, Amazon Flex, Swiggy, and Zomato? The gig economy refers to a labour market in which individuals earn income through short term, temporary, task based, or freelance work arrangements rather than traditional long term employment. Most gig work is facilitated through digital platforms such as Uber, Lyft, Deliveroo, Amazon Flex, Swiggy, and Upwork, which connect workers directly with customers seeking specific services. While the gig economy has created unprecedented opportunities for flexible work, it has also exposed workers to challenges such as insecure employment, lack of social security, unfair pay, and algorithmic control. To address these concerns, the International Labour Organization adopted Convention No. 193, the world's first binding international treaty dedicated to platform workers. The Convention marks a significant step towards ensuring decent work in the digital age and is expected to guide nations in building stronger legal and social protection frameworks for the rapidly expanding gig economy.

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First Gig Economy Treaty at Glance
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On June 12, 2026, the course of global labor governance took a decisive turn when, at its 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva, the ILO finally ratified the Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention (ILO Convention No. 193) with a vote of 406-8-36. This first-ever binding instrument setting labor standards for digital platform/gig workers represents the product of a lengthy multi-year debate leading to an international understanding that labor law itself had to be redefined to apply to the digital age. The Convention sought to fill a regulatory gap in which "corporation power, algorithmic governance, work informality, and workers’ rightlessness defined the space."

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The Genesis: How the Convention Came to Be

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The negotiations of ILO Convention No. 193 were long, complex, and controversial. The systematic ILO attention on the gig economy was started during the beginning of the 2010s as on-demand app-based models provided by Uber, Lyft, Deliveroo, Amazon Flex, etc., began to transform the labor market fundamentally. The problem concerned is mass misclassification of workers.

Labeling platform workers as "independent contractors," as opposed to "employees," allows digital platforms to escape many standard labor law obligations such as minimum wage standards, social security benefits, health and safety standards, and the right to organize and bargain collectively.

Calls for international action escalated with the growth of the gig economy. 435 million people in the world were active in online gig work as of 2023, based on the World Bank Report. The platform work was added to the agenda of the ILO Governing Body in 2023. In 2024, a questionnaire was sent to member States and social partners and compiled into Report V(2): Realizing decent work in the platform economy (February 2025).

A decisive turning point occurred at the 113th International Labour Conference in June 2025 when, despite objections from employer representatives and governments like the United States, India, and Switzerland, delegates agreed to adopt both a binding Convention and a Recommendation on the issue. 

A Standard-Setting Committee then produced a draft instrument throughout 2025 and early 2026. The committee's text was adopted by the committee on June 11, 2026, and by the conference plenary the following day. Civil society groups, including Privacy International and Human Rights Watch, played a role in the process through their recommendations regarding algorithmic governance, data privacy, and inclusive coverage.

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Scope and Definitional Framework

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The most important and contentious aspect of the Convention is its scope. The text defines "digital labour platforms" as being covered, as well as "all digital platform workers… whether in the formal or informal economy. "It is designed this way precisely because previous attempts at regulating platforms, such as the 2024 EU Platform Work Directive, which was weakened considerably by the Council's final approval, were narrow and open to carve-outs. "Digital platform worker," according to Convention No. 193, is defined as "a person who is in employment or engaged in work for the provision of a service organised and/or mediated by a digital labour platform." It makes no distinction regarding employee status, thereby evading the definitional trap that allowed platforms to deny responsibility by defining workers as self-employed. The platforms covered in the Convention include location-based (food delivery, ride-hailing, domestic care, and construction services) and online/cloud-based platforms (data annotation, content moderation, creative freelancing, and software development).

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Key Substantive Provisions

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1. Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work :Convention 193 requires each state that ratifies it to make arrangements to "respect, promote, and realise" these fundamental principles and rights at work, which under the 1998 ILO Declaration were identified as freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of forced or compulsory labour; the abolition of child labour and the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation. The question of collective bargaining rights is especially important since digital platforms have not in the past been willing to accept unions and bargaining processes, claiming that since those who work on the platform are classified as independent contractors, they do not have the right to bargain collectively.

2. Fair Pay and Parity of Treatment :The Convention enshrines equal pay and treatment for gig workers: "not less favorable conditions than those offered to workers of the same employment status classification." This has the aim of remedying the two-tier system maintained by a number of digital platforms, where workers performing the equivalent job role of employees are provided with considerably lower remuneration, lacking the benefits, stability, and protection afforded to employees under statutory labor law.

3. Transparency and Algorithmic Accountability:One of the most innovative features of Convention 193 is its attempt to tackle algorithmic management. Digital platforms must supply information about the terms of the working relationship in a manner that is "timely, verifiable, and easily accessible and comprehensible" and, "in all cases prior to any significant changes," must disclose how automated systems allocate work, set pay, and determine termination decisions. Civil society organisations, such as Privacy International and Human Rights Watch, sought to make algorithmic control, including human oversight over automated decisions to impose disciplinary sanctions, legally binding. While the final provision fell short of doing so, it represents a new standard for algorithmic transparency in international labour law.

4. Occupational Safety and Health :Each member state will be required to take steps to prevent occupational accidents, diseases, and injuries "affecting platform workers." For location-based gig workers, such as delivery and ride-hailing drivers who are repeatedly placed in hazardous and unstable work environments, this provision is vital in addressing what is frequently referred to as a 'silent crisis' within the platform economy, as workers are often ineligible for statutory workplace injury coverage and compensation schemes.

5. Social Security Access:Possibly the most significant structural reform the Convention seeks to bring about, gig workers will have a right to access social security (including medical coverage, sick pay, and retirement and maternity/parental/sick benefits), which they have been able to bypass on the grounds of independent contractor status. For decades, digital platforms have lowered labor costs by externalizing the costs of social insurance onto gig workers themselves or public welfare systems. Convention 193 attempts to render that strategy illegal under international law.

6. Protection for migrant and refugee workers :There are provisions protecting migrant and refugee platform workers and ensuring rights and protection throughout the life cycle of work, covering recruitment to employment and providing protection against discrimination. Migrant workers are over-represented among those employed in low-paid and informal gig work, where they face the highest risks of exploitation and deteriorating work conditions.

7. Dispute resolution: Convention 193 establishes for platform workers the right to effective and impartial complaint and dispute resolution procedures as well as appropriate remedies, meaning when a country ratifies and domesticates the convention, workers will be empowered to pursue direct claims against digital platforms, overcoming the traditional obstacles placed in the way of such action.

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Enforcement Architecture and Its Limitations

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Despite the convention's potential, it is subject to key difficulties in implementation. The ILO does not have the enforcement power of the World Trade Organization, and simply ratifying a Convention does not automatically give domestic law effects. Countries must integrate the Convention into their national legislation, and ratifying members are not bound to implement it until 12 months after the Convention is ratified, which has also required two ratifications for entry into force. The Convention has optional provisions excluding the scope, where the argument is for the need of flexibility in the varied labour markets. While the International Trade Union Confederation, in reaction to the exclusions, has argued that large numbers of workers could be out of its protection, the countries that resort to the exceptions have to give a justification for this practice. The enforcement of the Convention is largely a matter of political will. Countries that, like the United States, voted against the Convention, will certainly choose not to ratify and implement it in their own legal system, leaving the gig workers out of its scope.

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Geopolitical and Comparative Context

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Convention No. 193 did not arise in a vacuum. There has been a trend of national governments regulating platform work in various ways. Spain's Riders' Law (2021) provided for a legal presumption of employment for delivery riders, while the UK Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers are workers in 2021, entitling them to minimum wage and holidays. The French Constitutional Council (2020) found platform worker charter clauses consistent with rights. Some Indian states have promoted registration for gig workers for social security purposes (though national legislation is still needed). Convention No. 193 standardises these varied efforts through international normative agreement and particularly helps lower-income states lacking capacity or power against global platforms.

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Conclusion

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While ILO Convention No. 193 represents a momentous milestone for platform workers, the true impact of the Convention rests on ratification, domestic legislation, and judicial enforcement, alongside consistent vigilance on the part of the trade unions and civil society. Its most significant accomplishment to date is the establishment of a new international norm: for the first time, it establishes under international law that the labor rights of platform and gig workers are state responsibilities, not discretionary private undertakings by companies, a fact made urgently necessary by the growing strength of platform power.

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References

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1. https://www.ilo.org/resource/conference-paper/ilc/113/draft-resolution-and-proposed-conclusions-standard-setting-committee-decent
2. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/12/un-adopts-treaty-setting-standards-for-gig-economy-workers
3. https://www.ilo.org/node/697106
4. https://www.europeanpapers.eu/e-journal/decent-work-gig-economy-appraisal-eu-ilo-regulation-digital-labour-platforms
5. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/worlds-fi
6. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2026/06/14/2003859085

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