#FactCheck - Viral Video Claiming Attack on Burj Khalifa is AI-Generated
Executive Summary
Amid rising tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran, a video is circulating on social media claiming that Burj Khalifa in Dubai has been attacked. The clip is being widely shared with users alleging that a strike took place near the iconic skyscraper. However, research by CyberPeace found the claim to be misleading. Our research revealed that the viral video is not real and was generated using artificial intelligence.
Claim
On March 1, 2026, a Facebook user shared the viral clip claiming that an attack had taken place in Dubai. The post was shared with the caption: “Dubai has been attacked.” The link to the post and its archive is provided below along with a screenshot.
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we first searched Google using relevant keywords. During this process, we found a report published on March 1, 2026, by the Indian news outlet Dainik Bhaskar.
According to the report, tensions in the Middle East escalated amid the Israel–Iran conflict, impacting several countries in the region. A drone incident reportedly occurred near Burj Khalifa, prompting authorities to evacuate the building as a precautionary measure and temporarily switch off its lights. However, the visuals seen in the viral video do not match the details or imagery described in the report. Upon closely examining the viral clip, we noticed several technical inconsistencies and unusual visual elements, raising suspicions that the video might have been generated using artificial intelligence. To verify this, we analyzed the video using the AI detection tool Sightengine. The results indicated a 99% probability that the video was AI-generated.
Conclusion
Our research found that the viral video circulating on social media is not authentic. The footage was created using artificial intelligence and does not depict a real attack on Burj Khalifa.
Related Blogs
Introduction
Uttar Pradesh's state government has taken significant step to promote e-sports, organised games played on video or digital formats, under its new sports policy. The plan includes setting up an e-sports centre in the state, providing basic infrastructure to athletes in every district, and including them under various beneficiary schemes. Schools and colleges will also be asked to promote e-sports. The government sees e-sports as a crucial tool for connecting with young people and a significant market for businesses, game developers, and sports organisations. An awareness program will be held at high school and college levels to educate children about the benefits of e-sports. A talent search and skill development model will be created by studying the national and international e-sports ecosystem.
Recognition to E-Sports
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has approved the New Sports Policy 2023 to promote and foster a sports culture in the state. The policy focuses on various aspects, including physical fitness and training, and supports the development of new institutions and connecting schools, colleges, and private academies with sports. The state government has also incorporated provisions from other states to help athletes chase their goals.
The state's first-ever sports policy, establishing a primary fund of 10 crore for the Uttar Pradesh Sports Development Fund (UPSDF). The policy also inducted e-sports, becoming the first state in India to have e-sports in its official policy. E-sports refers to competitive and organized video game events, and the Centre has officially recognised it.
Key highlights of the Uttar Pradesh Sports Policy 2023
The government's sports department, with the help of the industrial directorate, will plan to promote sports goods manufacturing in the state, with Meerut being one of the main clusters.
The policy also promises to increase the participation of women in sports. Para-athletes will be accommodated in all schemes of the sports department, and special coaches will be appointed for para-sports.
Athletes who have represented the state at national and international levels will be part of the state pension scheme, receiving monthly pensions and preference for university admission and jobs under the sports quota. Cash prizes will be awarded based on international performance and will be increased for those who help these athletes win medals at the top level.
Way forward
The policy promises financial assistance to sports associations and academies, allowing them to expand their infrastructure and training facilities. The state will also establish 14 centres of excellence, each centred around a particular sport, through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models. The state sports authority will be established, on the lines of the Sports Authority of India (SAI). A State Sports Development Fund will be put in place to provide assistance to weak players, associations, or academies. Five high-performance centres will be built in the state, providing training facilities for high-performance athletes.
The policy also includes provisions for financial assistance to budding athletes, providing health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh for registered players and funds from the Eklavya Sports Fund for injury treatment. Players will receive training based on their skill power, with three categories: grassroots players, elite-class players, and elite-class players. Other notable aspects of the policy include establishing sports centres in each district, promoting local and indigenous sports, encouraging the sports industry, promoting e-sports, providing better facilities in hostels, forming committees for international players, encouraging schools to start sports nurseries or academies, and forming a committee for the Khelo India University Games which is a largest ever competition held at university level in India.
Conclusion
Uttar Pradesh's New Sports Policy 2023 is a significant step towards sports development, integrating e-sports into its sports promotion strategies. Under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state government is committed to sports infrastructure development, talent identification, and athlete support systems. The policy emphasises inclusivity, accommodating para-athletes, and providing financial assistance, training, and health insurance coverage for athletes. Initiatives include establishing sports centres, promoting indigenous sports, encouraging private investments, and fostering collaboration between educational institutions and sports academies. The policy also encourages for organising and hosting national and international level e-sports competitions in the state. This forward-looking approach aims to harness the full spectrum of sporting opportunities, empowering citizens and elevating its standing in national and international sporting arenas.
References:
Introduction
In the age of social media, the news can spread like wildfire. A recent viral claim contained that police have started a nationwide scheme of free travel service for women at night. It stated that any woman who is alone and cannot find a vehicle to go home between 10 PM and 06 AM can contact the provided numbers and request a free vehicle. The viral message further contained the request to share and forward this information to everyone to get the women to know about the free vehicle service offered by police at night. However, upon fact check the claim was found to be misleading.
Social Impact of Misleading Information
The fact that such misleading information gets viral at a fast speed is because of its ability to impact and influence people through emotional resonance. Especially during a time when women's safety is a topic discussed in media sensationalism due to recently highlighted rape or sexual violence incidents, such fake viral claims often spark widespread public concern, causing emotional resonance to people and they unknowingly share or forward such messages in the spike of emotional and sensational appeal contained in such messages. The emotional nature of these viral texts often overrides scepticism, leading to immediate sharing without verification.
Such nature of viral messages often tends to bring people to protest, raise awareness and create support networks, but in spite of emotional resonance people get targeted by misinformation and become the unintended superspreaders of fake news fueled by emotional and social media-driven reactions. Women’s safety in society is a sensitive topic and when people discover such viral claims to be misleading and fake, it often hurts the sentiments of society leading to significant social impacts, including distrust in social media, unnecessary panic and confusion.
CyberPeace Policy Vertical Advisory for Social Media Users
- Think before Sharing: All netizens must practice caution while sharing anything and double-check its authenticity before sharing/forwarding or reposting it on your social media stories.
- Don't be unintended superspreaders of Misinformation: Misinformation with emotional resonance and widespread sharing by netizens can lead to them becoming "superspreaders of misinformation" and making it viral quickly. Hence you must avoid such unintended consequences by following the best practices of being vigilant and informed by reliable sources.
- Exercise vigilance and scepticism: It is important that netizens exercise vigilance and they build cognitive abilities to recognise the red flags of misleading information. You can do so by following the official communication channels, looking for any discrepancy in the content of susceptible information and double-checking its authenticity before sharing it with anyone.
- Verify the information from official sources: Follow the official communication channels of concerned authorities for any kind of information, circulars, notifications etc. In case of finding any piece of information to be susceptible or misleading, intimate it to the relevant authority and the fact-checking organizations.
- Stay in touch with expert organizations: Cybersecurity experts and civil society organisations possess the unique blend of large-scale impact potential and technical expertise. Netizens can stay updated about recent developments in the tech-policy sphere and learn about internet best practices, and measures to counter misinformation through methods such as prebunking, debunking and more.
Connect with CyberPeace
As an expert organisation, we have the ability to educate and empower huge numbers, along with the skills and policy acumen needed to be able to not just make people aware of the problem but also teach them how to solve it for themselves. At CyberPeace we regularly produce fact-check reports, blogs & advisories, and insights on prebunking & debunking measures and capacity-building programs with the aim of empowering netizens at the heart of our initiatives. CyberPeace has established the largest network of CyberPeace Corps volunteers globally. These volunteers play a crucial role in assisting victims, raising awareness, and promoting proactive measures.
References:
Introduction
In 2022, Oxfam’s India Inequality report revealed the worsening digital divide, highlighting that only 38% of households in the country are digitally literate. Further, only 31% of the rural population uses the internet, as compared to 67% of the urban population. Over time, with the increasing awareness about the importance of digital privacy globally, the definition of digital divide has translated into a digital privacy divide, whereby different levels of privacy are afforded to different sections of society. This further promotes social inequalities and impedes access to fundamental rights.
Digital Privacy Divide: A by-product of the digital divide
The digital divide has evolved into a multi-level issue from its earlier interpretations; level I implies the lack of physical access to technologies, level II refers to the lack of digital literacy and skills and recently, level III relates to the impacts of digital access. Digital Privacy Divide (DPD) refers to the various gaps in digital privacy protection provided to users based on their socio-demographic patterns. It forms a subset of the digital divide, which involves uneven distribution, access and usage of information and communication technology (ICTs). Typically, DPD exists when ICT users receive distinct levels of digital privacy protection. As such, it forms a part of the conversation on digital inequality.
Contrary to popular perceptions, DPD, which is based on notions of privacy, is not always based on ideas of individualism and collectivism and may constitute internal and external factors at the national level. A study on the impacts of DPD conducted in the U.S., India, Bangladesh and Germany highlighted that respondents in Germany and Bangladesh expressed more concerns about their privacy compared to respondents in the U.S. and India. This suggests that despite the U.S. having a strong tradition of individualistic rights, that is reflected in internal regulatory frameworks such as the Fourth Amendment, the topic of data privacy has not garnered enough interest from the population. Most individuals consider forgoing the right to privacy as a necessary evil to access many services, and schemes and to stay abreast with technological advances. Research shows that 62%- 63% of Americans believe that companies and the government collecting data have become an inescapable necessary evil in modern life. Additionally, 81% believe that they have very little control over what data companies collect and about 81% of Americans believe that the risk of data collection outweighs the benefits. Similarly, in Japan, data privacy is thought to be an adopted concept emerging from international pressure to regulate, rather than as an ascribed right, since collectivism and collective decision-making are more valued in Japan, positioning the concept of privacy as subjective, timeserving and an idea imported from the West.
Regardless, inequality in privacy preservation often reinforces social inequality. Practices like surveillance that are geared towards a specific group highlight that marginalised communities are more likely to have less data privacy. As an example, migrants, labourers, persons with a conviction history and marginalised racial groups are often subject to extremely invasive surveillance under suspicions of posing threats and are thus forced to flee their place of birth or residence. This also highlights the fact that focus on DPD is not limited to those who lack data privacy but also to those who have (either by design or by force) excess privacy. While on one end, excessive surveillance, carried out by both governments and private entities, forces immigrants to wait in deportation centres during the pendency of their case, the other end of the privacy extreme hosts a vast number of undocumented individuals who avoid government contact for fear of deportation, despite noting high rates of crime victimization.
DPD is also noted among groups with differential knowledge and skills in cyber security. For example, in India, data privacy laws mandate that information be provided on order of a court or any enforcement agency. However, individuals with knowledge of advanced encryption are adopting communication channels that have encryption protocols that the provider cannot control (and resultantly able to exercise their right to privacy more effectively), in contrast with individuals who have little knowledge of encryption, implying a security as well as an intellectual divide. While several options for secure communication exist, like Pretty Good Privacy, which enables encrypted emailing, they are complex and not easy to use in addition to having negative reputations, like the Tor Browser. Cost considerations also are a major factor in propelling DPD since users who cannot afford devices like those by Apple, which have privacy by default, are forced to opt for devices that have relatively poor in-built encryption.
Children remain the most vulnerable group. During the pandemic, it was noted that only 24% of Indian households had internet facilities to access e-education and several reported needing to access free internet outside of their homes. These public networks are known for their lack of security and privacy, as traffic can be monitored by the hotspot operator or others on the network if proper encryption measures are not in place. Elsewhere, students without access to devices for remote learning have limited alternatives and are often forced to rely on Chromebooks and associated Google services. In response to this issue, Google provided free Chromebooks and mobile hotspots to students in need during the pandemic, aiming to address the digital divide. However, in 2024, New Mexico was reported to be suing Google for allegedly collecting children’s data through its educational products provided to the state's schools, claiming that it tracks students' activities on their personal devices outside of the classroom. It signified the problems in ensuring the privacy of lower-income students while accessing basic education.
Policy Recommendations
Digital literacy is one of the critical components in bridging the DPD. It enables individuals to gain skills, which in turn effectively addresses privacy violations. Studies show that low-income users remain less confident in their ability to manage their privacy settings as compared to high-income individuals. Thus, emphasis should be placed not only on educating on technology usage but also on privacy practices since it aims to improve people’s Internet skills and take informed control of their digital identities.
In the U.S., scholars have noted the role of libraries and librarians in safeguarding intellectual privacy. The Library Freedom Project, for example, has sought to ensure that the skills and knowledge required to ensure internet freedoms are available to all. The Project channelled one of the core values of the library profession i.e. intellectual freedom, literacy, equity of access to recorded knowledge and information, privacy and democracy. As a result, the Project successfully conducted workshops on internet privacy for the public and also openly objected to the Department of Homeland Security’s attempts to shut down the use of encryption technologies in libraries. The International Federation of Library Association adopted a Statement of Privacy in the Library Environment in 2015 that specified “when libraries and information services provide access to resources, services or technologies that may compromise users’ privacy, libraries should encourage users to be aware of the implications and provide guidance in data protection and privacy.” The above should be used as an indicative case study for setting up similar protocols in inclusive public institutions like Anganwadis, local libraries, skill development centres and non-government/non-profit organisations in India, where free education is disseminated. The workshops conducted must inculcate two critical aspects; firstly, enhancing the know-how of using public digital infrastructure and popular technologies (thereby de-alienating technology) and secondly, shifting the viewpoint of privacy as a right an individual has and not something that they own.
However, digital literacy should not be wholly relied on, since it shifts the responsibility of privacy protection to the individual, who may not either be aware or cannot be controlled. Data literacy also does not address the larger issue of data brokers, consumer profiling, surveillance etc. Resultantly, an obligation on companies to provide simplified privacy summaries, in addition to creating accessible, easy-to-use technical products and privacy tools, should be necessitated. Most notable legislations address this problem by mandating notices and consent for collecting personal data of users, despite slow enforcement. However, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 in India aims to address DPD by not only mandating valid consent but also ensuring that privacy policies remain accessible in local languages, given the diversity of the population.
References
- https://idronline.org/article/inequality/indias-digital-divide-from-bad-to-worse/
- https://arxiv.org/pdf/2110.02669
- https://arxiv.org/pdf/2201.07936#:~:text=The%20DPD%20index%20is%20a,(33%20years%20and%20over).
- https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/11/15/americans-and-privacy-concerned-confused-and-feeling-lack-of-control-over-their-personal-information/
- https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/67203/1/Internet%20freedom%20for%20all%20Public%20libraries%20have%20to%20get%20serious%20about%20tackling%20the%20digital%20privacy%20divi.pdf
- /https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6265&context=law_lawreview
- https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/67203/1/Internet%20freedom%20for%20all%20Public%20libraries%20have%20to%20get%20serious%20about%20tackling%20the%20digital%20privacy%20divi.pdf
- https://bosniaca.nub.ba/index.php/bosniaca/article/view/488/pdf
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/just-24-of-indian-households-have-internet-facility-to-access-e-education-unicef/story-a1g7DqjP6lJRSh6D6yLJjL.html
- https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2021/05/05/the-pandemic-has-unmasked-the-digital-privacy-divide/
- https://www.meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Digital%20Personal%20Data%20Protection%20Act%202023.pdf
- https://www.isc.meiji.ac.jp/~ethicj/Privacy%20protection%20in%20Japan.pdf
- https://socialchangenyu.com/review/the-surveillance-gap-the-harms-of-extreme-privacy-and-data-marginalization/
