#FactCheck- Old Video from Pakistan’s Gwadar Falsely Shared as Iran’s Attack on US Military Base in Kuwait
Executive Summary
A video is being shared on social media with the claim that it shows Iran’s attack on a US military base located in Kuwait. It is being claimed that the video is from a recent attack carried out by Iran. CyberPeace Research Wing ’s research found the claim to be false. The research revealed that the video is actually from Panwan, a coastal town in southern Pakistan. The footage was published in connection with reports of a suicide attack carried out by a prominent militant organisation. The video has no connection with the alleged Iranian attack on a US military base in Kuwait.
Claim:
A Facebook post shared in the Sinhala language on July 25, 2026, claimed: “Iran targeted US-controlled Kuwaiti border checkpoints. The Abdali border checkpoint has been completely destroyed.” The post was shared along with a video of around one minute. In the video, a blue truck can be seen entering a secured compound. Within seconds, a massive explosion takes place, followed by a thick cloud of smoke rising into the sky. Text written in Sinhala on the video claimed: “Watch how Iran is attacking the US Abdali border crossing base located on the Kuwait border.”
https://www.facebook.com/reel/979364938493872
https://web.archive.org/web/20260730055635/https://www.facebook.com/reel/979364938493872
Factcheck
As part of the research, keyframes from the viral video were extracted and a reverse image search was conducted. During the search, we found a report published by India Today on July 4, 2026. According to the report, the footage actually shows a suicide attack carried out by the Pakistan-based Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant group.
Further research led us to a report about a suicide bombing in Gwadar, Pakistan. According to the report, the BLA claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed that more than 30 security personnel were killed. Journalist Diksha Bisla also shared details about the incident.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1233630812123459
A search on Google Maps showed the Panwan area and a structure along Gwadar Road that resembles the location visible in the viral video.
Conclusion:
CyberPeace Research Wing ’s research found that the claim is false. The viral video is not related to any alleged Iranian attack on a US military base in Kuwait. The footage is from Panwan, a coastal town in southern Pakistan, and was circulated during reports of a suicide attack claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to grow in importance in today’s world not just as technological advancement but also becoming the backbone of economic growth, national security, scientific research, and digital governance. However, AI innovations of such a sophisticated kind require significant computing power that is currently only within the reach of a few countries. Against this backdrop, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have taken a significant step by partnering to build one of India's most powerful AI supercomputing infrastructures. What began as a discussion about digital infrastructure under the ambit of the new found India-UAE tech relationship, has come to a stage that is likely to usher in new AI-centric developments in the country, while bolstering the partnership between India and UAE.
From Vision to Concrete Action
This collaboration stemmed from the strengthening relationship between India and the UAE. The goal is to focus more on digital cooperation after the 2023 G20 Summit held in India. During this period, Artificial Intelligence, digital public infrastructure, and strong digital ecosystems became key topics of discussion between the two countries. This partnership received formal recognition with the India-UAE Digital Infrastructure Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2024. This agreement identified Artificial Intelligence, high-performance computing (HPC), cloud infrastructure, and digital innovation as priority areas for cooperation.
The initiative has now moved from policy talks to actual implementation. In February 2026, the UAE announced plans to deploy an 8-exaflop AI Super Computing Cluster in partnership between CDAC and in May 2026, when our Hon’ble Prime Minister visited UAE, both governments formalized the commercial framework for establishing the system, marking one of the largest AI infrastructure collaborations between the two countries. It was one the significant agendas discussed between the two countries among others.
What Does the Agreement Include?
The agreement between the countries is for the deployment of ‘Condor Galaxy India supercomputer’, which is an AI supercomputing cluster designed specifically for complex and advanced artificial intelligence workloads. Some of the major points of agreement include:
- Deployment of an 8 Exaflop Super Computing Cluster, meaning it can perform up to eight quintillion (8 × 10¹⁸) AI-related calculations per second. This would place it among the world's most powerful AI supercomputing systems.
- This project will be implemented by G42, which is an Abu Dhabi-based AI technology company, in partnership with India's Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
- The computing infrastructure will utilise 64 Cerebras CS-3 AI systems, built using wafer-scale processor technology designed for large AI models.
- G42 and C-DAC will jointly oversee installation, deployment, operation, and maintenance of the infrastructure.
- The supercomputer will support India's IndiaAI Mission, strengthening domestic AI research and innovation. It is also a step in the direction of India’ AI mission through mindful collaboration.
- Notably, the system will be physically located within India and operate under Indian governance frameworks and laws ensuring that sensitive datasets remain under India’s jurisdiction.
While beyond the infrastructure, the partnership also aims for research efforts within fields like healthcare & genomics, climate change modeling & optimization of energy, geointelligence, research studies & government usages, as well as growing startups in AI. It is hoped that the computing infrastructure will be made accessible to researchers, academic bodies, government organizations & startups from both nations to foster collaborative research.
How Are India and the UAE Collaborating?
The partnership involves more than simply sharing the hardware, the two countries are entering into a multiyear technology partnership where each brings different but complementary expertise. On one hand India offers the knowledge and experience of C-DAC, a large number of AI engineers, startups, academics and researchers, and the IndiaAI Mission, a framework to enable access to the advanced computing infrastructure needed to use these researchers.
In return, the UAE offers investment in AI infrastructure and expertise in global AI cloud infrastructure, and sovereign AI platform development, from AI cloud infrastructure company G42, a company that has deployed large AI computing clusters as part of the Condor Galaxy network. Among the biggest names involved in the new initiative is also Cerebras Systems, the artificial intelligence (AI) computing company that will supply the AI chips for the supercomputer. The leading designer of AI compute technology, Cerebras develops the world's fastest AI hardware. In particular, the flagship Wafer Scale Engine (WSE-3), a revolutionary single chip that is the largest AI processor in the world, offers significant gains in speed and computational efficiency. This partnership will spur a joint R&D effort. That allows both India and the UAE to harness their respective knowledge and resources to accelerate better results for all stakeholders in various domains.
This collaboration will enable joint research and development (R&D), allowing both countries to combine their expertise and resources to produce more effective outcomes that are mutually beneficial across multiple sectors.
Cyber and Digital Security Benefits
From a cybersecurity perspective, this partnership is particularly significant.
- Moving towards AI Sovereignty
Possessing the infrastructure within India can ensure that sensitive government, healthcare, research, and enterprise data remains within Indian jurisdiction. This will reduce dependence on foreign cloud infrastructure while improving regulatory control over sensitive and critical datasets.
- Modernising Cyber Defence
Having a high-performance computing system will improve our cyber defence through AI-based threat detection, malware flagging, vulnerability assessment and cyber testing of safeguarding critical infrastructure. These are necessary in current times considering the growing capabilities and mode of cyber attacks.
- Secure AI Development
Countries worldwide are moving toward "Sovereign AI" which is a goal of developing AI systems within nationally governed infrastructure to protect sensitive information. The India-UAE partnership directly supports this objective by combining national governance and world-class computing capability development.
- Economic Benefits for India
The project offers several long-term economic advantages. First, easing the entry barrier for startups and researchers in India as they are often reliant on expensive overseas cloud computing services. Second, enabling availability of more computing power that can accelerate innovation across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, fintech, education, and logistics. Third, stronger AI computing infrastructure could foster the inflow of global capital into India’s tech ecosystem by provisioning requisite resources to run frontier AI computations. Finally, the initiative supports India's ambition of becoming a global AI innovation hub under the IndiaAI Mission by enabling domestic development of advanced AI models rather than relying solely on imported technologies that will in long-term make India a sought out destination as an AI-hub.
Why the UAE Benefits?
In the case of the UAE, the partnership further helps Abu Dhabi's vision to become a global leader in artificial intelligence by extending the reach of G42's AI capabilities internationally, while strengthening ties with one of the world’s leading digital economies as a trusted strategic technology partner. In harnessing India's extensive talent base, research communities, and growing AI capabilities, the UAE unlocks opportunities for scale and innovation, while also cementing its status as a dependable technological enabler across emerging economies. The project is a part of the UAE’s long-standing agenda to move away from hydrocarbons and towards growth in areas such as AI, digital infrastructure, and technologies of the future.
Conclusion
The India-UAE supercomputer collaboration is a step in the direction of being self-dependent in terms of having a strong computing infrastructure base in India. This also changes the outlook of international technology partnerships from traditional trade relationships to collaborations focused on AI, digital infrastructure, research, and strategic innovation. AI is becoming a defining factor in economic competitiveness and national resilience on a global scale and the access to sovereign computing infrastructure will increasingly shape our influence in world markets. By uniting UAE’s investment capacity and AI infrastructure expertise and India’s advantages. If successfully implemented, the collaboration could serve as a model of what cooperation toward sovereign and trusted AI can entail.
REFERENCES
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2006207®=48&lang=2
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2261385®=48&lang=1
- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2261393®=48&lang=1
Introduction
In 2019 India got its bill on Data protection in the form of the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019. This bill focused on digital rights and duties pertaining to data privacy. However, the bill was scrapped by the Govt in mid-2022, and a new bill was drafted, Successor bill was introduced as the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022 on 18th November 2022, which was made open for public comments and consultations and now the bill is expected to be tabled at the parliament in the Monsoon session.
What is DPDP, 2022?
Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, is the lasted draft regulation for data privacy in India. The bill has been essentially focused towards data protection by companies and the keep aspect of Puttaswamy judgement of data privacy as a fundamental right has been upheld under the scope of the bill. The bill comes after nearly 150 recommendations which the parliamentary committee made when the PDP, 2019 was scrapped.
The bill highlights the following keen aspects-
- Data Fiduciary- The entity (an individual, company, firm, state, etc.) which decides the purpose and means of processing an individual’s personal data.
- Data Principle- The individual to whom personal data is related.
- Processing- The entire cycle of operations that can be carried out concerning personal data.
- Gender Neutrality- For the first time in India’s legislative history, “her” and “she” have been used to refer to individuals irrespective of gender.
- Right to Erase Data- Data principals will have the right to demand the erasure and correction of data collected by the data fiduciary.
- Cross-border data transfer- The bill allows cross-border data after an assessment of relevant factors by the Central Government.
- Children’s Rights- The bill guarantees the right to digital privacy under the protection of parents/guardians.
- Heavy Penalties- The bill enforces heavy penalties for non-compliance with the provisions, not exceeding Rs 500 crore.
Data Protection Board
The bill lays down provisions for setting up a Data Protection Board. This board will be an independent body acting solely on the factors of data privacy and protection of the data principles and maintaining compliance by data fiduciaries. The board will be headed by a chairperson of essential and relevant qualifications, and members and various other officials shall assist him/her under the board. The board will serve grievance redressal to the data principles and can conduct investigation, inquiry, proceeding, and pass orders equivalent to a Civil court. The proceeding will be undertaken on the principle of natural justice, and the aggrieved can file an appeal to the High Court of appropriate jurisdiction.
Global Comparison
Many countries have data protection laws that regulate the processing of personal data. Some of the notable examples include:
- European Union: The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the world’s most comprehensive data protection laws. It regulates public and private entities’ processing of personal data and gives individuals a wide range of rights over their personal data.
- United States: The US has several data protection laws that apply to specific sectors or types of data, such as health data (HIPAA) or financial data (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act). However, there is no comprehensive federal data protection law in the US.
- Japan: Japan’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) regulates the handling of personal data by private entities and gives individuals certain rights over their personal data.
- Australia: Australia’s Privacy Act 1988 regulates the handling of personal data by public and private entities and gives individuals certain rights over their personal data.
- Brazil: Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD) regulates the processing of personal data by public and private entities and gives individuals certain rights over their personal data. It also imposes heavy fines and penalties on entities that violate the provisions of the law.
Overall, while there are some similarities in data protection laws across countries, there are also significant differences in scope, applicability, and enforcement. It is important for organisations to understand the data protection laws that apply to their operations and take appropriate steps to comply with these laws.
Parliamentary Asscent
The case of violation of the privacy policy by WhatsApp at the Hon’ble Supreme Court resulted in a significant advocacy for Data privacy as a fundamental right, and it was held that, as suggested otherwise in the privacy policy, Whatsapp was sharing its user’s data with Meta. This massive breach of trust could have led to data mismanagement affecting thousands of Indian users. The Hon’ble Supreme Court has taken due consideration of data privacy and its challenges in India and asked the Govt to table the bill in Parliament. The bill will be tabled for discussion in the monsoon session. The Supreme Court has set up a constitutional bench to check the bill’s scope, extent and applications and provide its judicial oversight. The constitution bench of Justices KM Joseph, Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy and CT Ravikumar has fixed the matter for hearing in August in order to enforce the potential changes and amendments in the act post the parliamentary discussion.
Conclusion
India is the world’s largest democracy, so the crucial aspects of passing laws and amendments have always been followed by the government and kept under check by the judiciary. The discussion over bills is a crucial part of the democratic process, and bills as important as Digital Personal Data Protection need to be discussed and analysed thoroughly in both houses of Parliament to ensure the govt passes a sustainable and efficient law.
Artificial intelligence tends to attract extreme opinions. Some commentators argue it is eroding our capacity to think. Others believe it is freeing our minds for more valuable work. Both views miss the more important point: the effect of AI depends on how a person chooses to use it. Whether a chatbot supports someone's thinking or replaces it altogether comes down to that choice, and that choice is what separates an assistant from a substitute. Not long ago, generative AI was a novelty. Now it shows up daily in classrooms, newsrooms and offices - almost everywhere people write, plan or make decisions. That kind of shift is exactly why researchers have started looking closely at something harder to see: what happens inside the brain once thinking gets outsourced to a machine. The findings are worth knowing.
What the Brain Scans Actually Showed
One of the clearest pieces of evidence comes out of MIT's Media Lab. The study by Nataliya Kosmyna was carried out for 4 months in 2025 with the participation of all in all, there were 54 participants The fifty four participants were divided into three groups and assigned each group one unique but identical writing task. Group one wrote with ChatGPT open in front of them. The second used a standard search engine. The third had access to nothing but their own knowledge. Throughout, an Electroencephalogram (EEG device) sat on every participant's head, feeding the research team a live picture of brain activity as the essays took shape. It did not take long for the ChatGPT group's readings to pull away from the other two. Activity in regions linked to memory and analytical reasoning dropped noticeably. Several participants struggled later to recall, or even accurately quote, essays they had written only minutes before. Kosmyna's team gave this effect a name: cognitive debt, borrowed from the language of personal finance. The convenience arrives immediately; the cost turns up afterwards, in this case as weakened memory and independent reasoning.
A less-reported result from the same study points the other way. Participants who started the task unaided, then moved on to using ChatGPT, showed higher brain activity than before, not lower. That detail matters. It indicates the tool itself is not the problem. What seems to matter more is the mental effort a person has already put in before turning to AI for help.
Assistant or Substitute? The Line Is Thinner Than You Think
A study published in Frontiers in Psychology in July 2026 offers a useful distinction that extends the MIT findings. The researchers differentiate between dependent offloading, where a task is handed over because a person doubts their own ability to complete it, and autonomous offloading, where a person chooses to delegate part of a task while remaining in control of the overall process.
Dependent offloading, according to the study, gradually undermines a person's sense of competence, since it signals, even quietly, that they cannot manage without help. Autonomous offloading works differently. Here, too, the scientists are relieved to discover that giving a wide birth to any 'hardest' decisions-just taking AI's assistance where it can make an honest contribution-boosts rather than damages the confidence. The same holds for creative output too. The tool does not change between these two scenarios. What changes is who remains in charge of the process.
The Cost Nobody Is Measuring at Work
This pattern is not confined to academic settings. Earlier, in August 2026 the Conversation collated workplace data which brings up similar issues. Around six out of 10 workers don’t receive formal training on using AI and the same number say they have used artificial intelligence irresponsibly (or covertly) as part of their work.
A separate finding, from a July 2026 study by the Centre for AI Safety, adds further weight to this concern. Even the most capable AI agents tested were unable to complete around 85 per cent of assigned projects to a standard fit for paid, professional work. Put next to the workplace training gap, these numbers point to something organisations cannot really ignore. Many employees are trusting output from tools they were never taught to question, built by systems that make more mistakes than most people give them credit for. That is not a case for banning AI at work. It does mean employees need a clearer sense of where these tools are likely to fail, and the training to recognise it when they do.
Building the Habit of Human-Centred AI Use
Translating this research into practice requires a few deliberate habits.
Think before you prompt:Structuring an argument or outline before opening an AI tool matters more than it might seem. Even five minutes of this kind of preparation involves exactly the mental effort that the MIT study found missing in its heaviest AI users.
Treat AI output as a starting point:Whatever output an AI tool provides should be treated as a rough sketch to work on and not a finished product. Facts need checking. Awkward sentences need rewriting in your own words. At the end of the day, the person whose name goes on the piece is the one who answers for what is in it — which by itself is enough reason to go through it carefully before it is sent out.
Preserve AI-free time:A few hours each week, kept free of AI tools entirely, gives planning and brainstorming room to happen without shortcuts. Teams that build this into their schedule, rather than compressing every stage of a project with AI, generally produce stronger work as a result.
Examine the motivation:Using AI to move through an idea faster is one thing. Using it to dodge thinking about a problem altogether is something else. The second habit tends to catch up with people later, often without their noticing at first.
Conclusion
Whether AI functions as a cognitive assistant or a cognitive substitute depends less on the technology itself and more upon the way it is used. Used to support one's own thinking, AI appears to strengthen cognitive engagement. Used as a substitute for effort, it appears to accumulate a quiet cost, one that eventually surfaces in memory, confidence and the overall quality of work produced. The relevant question, each time AI is used, is a straightforward one: is it being used to assist thinking, or to replace it?
References
2. Chow, A. (2025) 'ChatGPT's Impact On Our Brains According to an MIT Study', TIME
