#FactCheck- Old 2019 Video Falsely Shared as Iran Seizing US Ship in Hormuz
Executive Summary:
Amid the ongoing tensions in West Asia, a video is being widely circulated on social media with the claim that Iran has seized a US ship in the Strait of Hormuz. However, a research by the CyberPeace found that the claim is false. The video is from 2019 and is unrelated to the current situation. It actually shows Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seizing a British-flagged tanker, Stena Impero. The ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran since late February has raised concerns over global energy supply. The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is a key route for global oil and maritime trade. Rising tensions in the region have impacted this route, although Iran has stated that it has not been completely closed.
Claim:
Users on X (formerly Twitter) are sharing the video as breaking news, claiming that Iran has captured a US ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The posts suggest that the move is a direct warning to the United States.
Fact Check:
To verify the claim, we extracted keyframes from the viral video and conducted a reverse image search. This led us to the same video posted on the X handle of Iran’s Press TV on July 20, 2019.
Link:
- https://x.com/PressTV/status/1152597789362262016?s=20
- https://x.com/PressTV/status/1152597789362262016?s=20
The caption of the post stated that the footage showed the moment when IRGC forces seized the British oil tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz. Further, we found a July 2019 report by Al Jazeera that included visuals matching the viral video. According to the report, Iran’s IRGC had intercepted the British-flagged tanker on July 19, 2019, after which the footage was released.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/7/20/iran-releases-video-showing-capture-of-british-oil-tanker
Conclusion:
The viral claim is misleading. The video is not recent and does not show Iran capturing a US ship. It is from 2019 and depicts the seizure of the British tanker Stena Impero by Iran’s IRGC.
Related Blogs
India’s online gaming industry has grown at lightning speed, drawing millions of users across age groups. From casual games and e-sports to fantasy leagues and online poker, digital entertainment has become both a social and economic phenomenon. But with this growth came rising concerns of addiction, financial loss, misleading ads, and even criminal misuse of gaming platforms for illegal betting. To address these concerns, the Government of India introduced the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act and draft Rules in October 2025. While the Act represents a crucial step toward accountability and user protection, it also raises difficult questions about freedom, innovation, and investor confidence.
The Current Legal Framework
The 2025 Act, along with corresponding changes in the Information Technology and GST laws, aims to create a safer and more transparent gaming environment.
1. Ban on real-money games:
Any online game where money is involved, whether it’s entry fees, bets, or prizes, is now banned, regardless of whether it is based on skill or chance. As a result, previously permitted formats such as fantasy sports, rummy, and poker once defended as “games of skill” now fall within the category of banned activities.
2. Promotion of e-sports and social gaming
Not all gaming is banned. Casual games, e-sports, and social games that don’t involve money are fully allowed. The government is encouraging these as part of India’s growing digital economy.
3. Advertising and financial restrictions: Banks, payment gateways, and advertisers cannot facilitate or promote real-money games. Any platform offering deposits or prize pools can be blocked.
4. Central regulatory authority: The law establishes a national body to classify games, monitor compliance, and address complaints. It has the power to order the locking of violative content and websites.
Why Regulation Was Needed
The push for regulation came after a surge in online betting scams, debt-related suicides, and disputes about whether certain apps were skill-based or chance-based. State governments had taken conflicting positions, some banning, others licensing such games. Meanwhile, offshore gaming apps operated freely in India’s grey market.
The 2025 Act thus attempts to impose uniformity, protect minors, and bring moral and fiscal discipline to a rapidly expanding digital frontier. Its underlying philosophy resembles that of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, encouraging responsible use of technology rather than an unregulated free-for-all.
Key Challenges and Gaps
(a) Clarity of Definitions
The Act bans all real-money games, ignoring the difference between skill-based games and chance-based games. This could lead to legal challenges under Article 19(1)(g), which protects the right to do business. Games like rummy or fantasy cricket, which need real skill, arguably shouldn’t be banned outright
(b) Weak Consumer and Child Protection
Although age verification and KYC are mandated, compliance at the user-end remains uncertain. India needs a Responsible Gaming Code covering:
- Spending limits and cooling-off periods;
- Self-exclusion options;
- Transparent disclosure of odds; and
- Algorithmic fairness audits.
These measures can help mitigate addiction and prevent exploitation of minors.
(c) Federal Conflicts
“Betting and gambling” fall within the State List under India’s Constitution, yet the 2025 Act seeks national uniformity. States like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka already have independent bans. Without harmonisation, legal disputes between state and central authorities could multiply. A cooperative federal framework allowing states to adopt central norms voluntarily could offer flexibility without fragmentation.
(d) Regulatory Transparency
The gaming regulator has a lot of power, like deciding which games are allowed and blocking websites. But it’s not clear who chooses its members or how people can challenge its decisions. Including court oversight, public input, and regular reporting would make the regulator fairer and more reliable.
What’s Next for India’s Online Gaming
India’s online gaming scene is at a turning point. Banning all money-based games might reduce risks, but it also slows innovation and limits opportunities. A better approach could be to license skill-based or low-risk games with proper KYC and audits, set up a Responsible Gaming Charter with input from government, industry, and civil society, and create rules for offshore platforms targeting Indian players. Player data should be protected under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and the law should be reviewed every few years to keep up with new tech like the metaverse, NFTs, and AI-powered games.
Conclusion
CyberPeace has already provided its detailed feedback to MEITy as on 30th October, 2025 hopes the finalised rules are released soon with the acknowledgment of the challenges discussed. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, marks an important turning point since this is India’s first serious attempt to bring order to a chaotic digital arena. The goal is to keep players safe, stop crime, and hold platforms accountable. But the tricky part is moving away from blanket bans. We need rules that let new ideas grow, respect people’s rights, and keep players safe. With a few smart changes and fair enforcement, India could have a gaming industry that’s safe, responsible, and ready to compete globally.
References
- https://ssrana.in/articles/indias-online-gaming-bill-2025-regulation-prohibition-and-the-future-of-digital-play/
- https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.economictimes.com/news/economy/policy/new-online-gaming-law-takes-effect-money-games-banned-from-today/amp_articleshow/124255401.cms
- https://www.google.com/amp/s/timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/government-proposes-to-make-violation-of-online-money-game-rules-non-bailable-draft-rules-ban-/amp_articleshow/124277740.cms
- https://www.egf.org.in/
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=155075&ModuleId=3
Executive Summary
A video circulating on social media falsely claims to show West Bengal leader Suvendu Adhikari making inflammatory and communal remarks. In the viral clip, he is allegedly heard saying that if elected, his party would “work only for Hindus” and “eliminate the 27% Muslim population in West Bengal,” while also claiming that the BJP would remain in power for over 100 years. CyberPeace Research Wing research found that the viral video, which allegedly shows West Bengal leader Suvendu Adhikari making a statement about eliminating the Muslim population in West Bengal to ensure long-term BJP rule, is AI-generated and not real.
Claim
An X user (@Naira_Seth1) shared the clip alleging it reflects “majoritarian extremism disguised as politics,” suggesting that Suvendu Adhikari made communally charged and unconstitutional statements.
Fact Check
A detailed analysis of the video shows clear signs of manipulation. The person appearing in the latter part of the clip does not match Suvendu Adhikari.
Additionally, the video was tested using an AI detection tool (Hive Moderation), which indicated a 98.8% probability of AI-generated content, particularly around the 0:25 timestamp.
Further verification through reverse image search of key frames led to an original press byte of Suvendu Adhikari posted by PTI News on May 6. In that authentic video, he is seen speaking about taking strict legal action against criminals, with no mention of any religious community or communal statements.
https://x.com/PTI_News/status/2052020784152068114?s=20
Conclusion
The viral video allegedly showing Suvendu Adhikari making communal remarks is AI-generated and misleading. The original footage confirms that no such statements were made, and the clip has been digitally manipulated to spread misinformation.
Introduction
The information of hundreds of thousands of Indians who received the COVID vaccine was Leaked in a significant data breach and posted on a Telegram channel. Numerous reports claim that sensitive information, including a person’s phone number, gender, ID card details, and date of birth, leaked over Telegram. It could be obtained by typing a person’s name into a Telegram bot.
What really happened?
The records pertaining to the mobile number registered in the CoWin portal are accessible on the Malayalam news website channel. It is also feasible to determine which vaccination was given and where it was given.
According to The Report, the list of individuals whose data was exposed includes BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, and former BJP union minister for health Harsh Vardhan. Telangana’s minister of information and communication technology, Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, is also on the list.
MEITY stated in response to the data leak, “It is old data, we are still confirming it. We have requested a report on the matter.
After the media Report, the bot was disabled, but experts said the incident raised severe issues because the information might be used for identity theft, phishing emails, con games, and extortion calls. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the government’s nodal body, has opened an investigation into the situation
The central government declared the data breach reports regarding the repository of beneficiaries against Covid to be “mischievous in nature” on Monday and claimed the ‘bot’ that purportedly accessed the confidential data was not directly accessing the CoWIN database.
According to the first complaint by CERT-In, the government’s cybersecurity division, the government claimed the bot might be displaying information from “previously stolen data.” Reports.
The health ministry refuted the claim, asserting that no bots could access the information without first verifying with a one-time password.
“It is made clear that all of these rumours are false and malicious. The health ministry’s CoWIN interface is entirely secure and has sufficient data privacy protections. The security of the data on the CoWIN portal is being ensured in every way possible, according to a statement from the health ministry.
Meity said the CoWin program or database was not directly compromised, and the shared information appeared to be taken from a previous intrusion. But the hack again highlights the growing danger of cyber assaults, particularly on official websites.
Recent cases of data leak
Dominos India 2021– Dominos India, a division of Jubilant FoodWorks, faced a cyberattack on May 22, 2021, which led to the disclosure of information from 180 million orders. The breach exposed order information, email addresses, phone numbers, and credit card information. Although Jubilant FoodWorks acknowledged a security breach, it refuted any illegal access to financial data.
Air India – A cyberattack that affected Air India in May 2021 exposed the personal information of about 4.5 million customers globally. Personal information recorded between August 26, 2011, and February 3, 2021, including names, dates of birth, contact information, passport information, ticket details, frequent flyer information from Star Alliance and Air India, and credit card information, were exposed in the breach.
Bigbasket – BigBasket, an online supermarket, had a data breach in November 2020, compromising the personal information of approximately 20 million consumers. Email IDs, password hashes, PINs, phone numbers, addresses, dates of birth, localities, and IP addresses were among the information released from an insecure database containing over 15 GB of customer data. BigBasket admitted to the incident and reported it to the Bengaluru Cyber Crime Department.
Unacademy – Unacademy, an online learning platform, experienced a data breach in May 2020, compromising the email addresses of approximately 11 million subscribers. While no sensitive information, such as financial data or passwords, was compromised, user data, including IDs, passwords, date joined, last login date, email IDs, names, and user credentials, was. The breach was detected when user accounts were uncovered for sale on the dark web.
2022 Card Data- Cybersecurity researchers from AI-driven Singapore-based CloudSEK found a threat actor offering a database of 1.2 million cards for free on a Dark Web forum for crimes on October 12, 2022. This came after a second problem involving 7.9 million cardholder records that were reported on the BidenCash website. This comprised information pertaining to State Bank of India (SBI) clients. And other well-known companies were among those targeted in high-profile data breach cases that have surfaced in recent years.
Conclusion
Data breach cases are increasing daily, and attackers are mainly attacking the healthcare sectors and health details as they can easily find personal details. This recent CoWIN case has compromised thousands of people’s data. The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences’ systems were compromised by hackers a few months ago. Over 95% of adults have had their vaccinations, according to the most recent data, even if the precise number of persons impacted by the CoWin privacy breach could not be determined.
