#FactCheck- Viral video of UP Police patrolling on e-rickshaw is AI-generated
Executive Summary
A video is being widely shared on social media showing a police officer driving an e-rickshaw, while two other policemen are seen in the back seat. Users sharing the clip claim that, due to a shortage of petrol, this is a new initiative by the Uttar Pradesh Police. However, research by CyberPeace found the viral claim to be false. Our research also confirms that the video is not real but AI-generated.
Claim
An Instagram user shared the viral video claiming that due to fuel shortages, Uttar Pradesh Police has started patrolling using e-rickshaws.
- Post link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWepKWXAeiE/
- Archive: https://archive.ph/QBNXs
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we first conducted a keyword search on Google but found no credible media reports supporting this claim.
Next, we extracted keyframes from the viral video and performed a reverse image search using Google Lens. During this process, we found the same video uploaded on an Instagram channel on March 28, 2026. The uploader clearly mentioned that the video was created purely for entertainment purposes.
We further analyzed the video using AI detection tools. When scanned with Hive Moderation, the results indicated that the video is approximately 94% AI-generated.
In the next step, we also tested the clip using DeepAI. According to its analysis, the video is about 97% AI-generated.
Conclusion
Our research clearly shows that the viral video is not authentic. It is an AI-generated clip created for entertainment purposes, and the claim that Uttar Pradesh Police has started e-rickshaw patrolling due to petrol shortage is false.
Related Blogs
Executive Summary
Following the reported box office success of ‘Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge’, released on March 19, 2026, a video of Ranveer Singh visiting a temple is being widely shared on social media. Users claim that the actor visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple to offer prayers after the film’s success. Research by CyberPeace found that the viral claim is misleading. The video of Ranveer Singh visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is not recent. It dates back to 2024, when he visited the temple with Kriti Sanon, and is unrelated to the release or success of ‘Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge’.
Claim
An Instagram user “newsbharatplus” shared the video on March 26, 2026, with a caption stating that after the massive success of Dhurandhar 2, Ranveer Singh visited the temple and performed rituals.
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we extracted keyframes from the viral video and conducted a reverse image search. This led us to a report published by Dainik Jagran on April 14, 2024. According to the report, Ranveer Singh had visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple along with Kriti Sanon and noted fashion designer Manish Malhotra. During the visit, the trio was seen offering prayers, wearing traditional attire, and applying sandalwood tilak.
https://www.jagran.com/entertainment/bollywood-ranveer-singh-and-kriti-sanon-visits-kashi-vishwanath-temple-with-manish-malhotra-see-photos-here-23696781.html
We also found a video report on the official YouTube channel of Times Now Navbharat, uploaded on April 15, 2024, showing Ranveer Singh and Kriti Sanon at the temple. The report also featured visuals from a fashion event held in Varanasi.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMuW_SVbfb4
Conclusion
The viral claim is misleading. The video of Ranveer Singh visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is not recent. It dates back to 2024, when he visited the temple with Kriti Sanon, and is unrelated to the release or success of ‘Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge’.
Introduction
This tale, the Toothbrush Hack, straddles the ordinary and the sophisticated; an unassuming household item became the tool for committing cyber crime. Herein lies the account of how three million electronic toothbrushes turned into the unwitting infantry in a cyber skirmish—a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assault that flirted with the thin line that bridges the real and the outlandish.
In January, within the Swiss borders, a story began circulating—first reported by the Aargauer Zeitung, a Swiss German-language daily newspaper. A legion of cybercriminals, with honed digital acumen, had planted malware on some three million electric toothbrushes. These devices, mere slivers of plastic and circuitry, became agents of chaos, converging their electronic requests upon the servers of an undisclosed Swiss firm, hurling that digital domain into digital blackout for several hours and wreaking an economic turmoil calculated in seven-figure sums.
The entire Incident
It was claimed that three million electric toothbrushes were allegedly used for a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, first reported by the Aargauer Zeitung, a Swiss German-language daily newspaper. The article claimed that cybercriminals installed malware on the toothbrushes and used them to access a Swiss company's website, causing the site to go offline and causing significant financial loss. However, cybersecurity experts have questioned the veracity of the story, with some describing it as "total bollocks" and others pointing out that smart electric toothbrushes are connected to smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth, making it impossible for them to launch DDoS attacks over the web. Fortinet clarified that the topic of toothbrushes being used for DDoS attacks was presented as an illustration of a given type of attack and that no IoT botnets have been observed targeting toothbrushes or similar embedded devices.
The Tech Dilemma - IOT Hack
Imagine the juxtaposition of this narrative against our common expectations of technology: 'This example, which could have been from a cyber thriller, did indeed occur,' asserted the narratives that wafted through the press and social media. The story radiated outward with urgency, painting the image of IoT devices turned to evil tools of digital unrest. It was disseminated with such velocity that face value became an accepted currency amid news cycles. And yet, skepticism took root in the fertile minds of those who dwell in the domains of cyber guardianship.
Several cyber security and IOT experts, postulated that the information from Fortinet had been contorted by the wrench of misinterpretation. They and their ilk highlighted a critical flaw: smart electric toothbrushes are bound to their smartphone or tablet counterparts by the tethers of Bluetooth, not the internet, stripping them of any innate ability to conduct DDoS or any other type of cyber attack directly.
With this unraveling of an incident fit for our cyber age, we are presented with a sobering reminder of the threat spectrum that burgeons as the tendrils of the Internet of Things (IoT) insinuate themselves into our everyday fabrics. Innocuous devices, previously deemed immune to the internet's shadow, now stand revealed as potential conduits for cyber evil. The layers of impact are profound, touching the private spheres of individuals, the underpinning frameworks of national security, and the sinews that clutch at our economic realities. The viral incident was a misinformation.
IOT Weakness
IoT devices bear inherent weaknesses for twin reasons: the oft-overlooked element of security and the stark absence of a means to enact those security measures. Ponder this problem Is there a pathway to traverse the security settings of an electric toothbrush? Or to install antivirus measures within the cooling confines of a refrigerator? The answers point to an unsettling simplicity—you cannot.
How to Protect
Vigilance - What then might be the protocol to safeguard our increasingly digital space? It begins with vigilance, the cornerstone of digital self-defense. Ensure the automatic updating of all IoT devices when they beckon with the promise of a new security patch.
Self Awareness - Avoid the temptation of public USB charging stations, which, while offering electronic succor to your devices, could also stand as the Trojan horses for digital pathogens. Be attuned to signs of unusual power depletion in your gadgets, for it may well serve as the harbinger of clandestine malware. Navigate the currents of public Wi-Fi with utmost care, as they are as fertile for data interception as they are convenient for your connectivity needs.
Use of Firewall - A firewall can prove stalwart against the predators of the internet interlopers. Your smart appliances, from the banality of a kitchen toaster to the novelty of an internet-enabled toilet, if shielded by this barrier, remain untouched, and by extension, uncompromised. And let us not dismiss this notion with frivolity, for the prospect of a malware-compromised toilet or any such smart device leaves a most distasteful specter.
Limit the use of IOT - Additionally, and this is conveyed with the gravity warranted by our current digital era, resist the seduction of IoT devices whose utility does not outweigh their inherent risks. A smart television may indeed be vital for the streaming aficionado amongst us, yet can we genuinely assert the need for a connected laundry machine, an iron, or indeed, a toothbrush? Here, prudence is a virtue; exercise it with judicious restraint.
Conclusion
As we step forward into an era where connectivity has shifted from a mere luxury to an omnipresent standard, we must adopt vigilance and digital hygiene practices with the same fervour as those for our corporal well-being. Let the toothbrush hack not simply be a tale of caution, consigned to the annals of internet folklore, but a fable that imbues us with the recognition of our role in maintaining discipline in a realm where even the most benign objects might be mustered into service by a cyberspace adversary.
References
- https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/no-3-million-electric-toothbrushes-were-not-used-in-a-ddos-attack/
- https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/smart-home/3-million-smart-toothbrushes-were-not-used-in-a-ddos-attack-but-they-could-have-been/
- https://www.securityweek.com/3-million-toothbrushes-abused-for-ddos-attacks-real-or-not/
Introduction
Over the last few years, several public data breaches in Venezuela have revealed a lack of cohesion and progress in its data privacy system and left many people susceptible to fraud, identity theft and long-term harm via the internet. It is clear from these data breaches that when organizations fail to adequately protect their data, both through cybersecurity failures and weak legal protections, they can lead to problems throughout an entire system through which all individuals in the system could potentially suffer.
Among the more notable breaches are the Movistar Venezuela data breach from 2025 and the Cashea App data leak from earlier this year. Each of these examples demonstrates to some extent how the absence of an adequate privacy regulatory scheme can worsen the results of a data breach.
The Movistar Breach: A Regulatory Warning (2025)
Venezuelan digital rights group VE Sin Filtro published a report late in April 2025, which found a database revealed to have been opened onto the internet containing personal information belonging to over 3.2 million Movistar customers. The initial breach contained personal, and confidential, data of Venezuelan citizens such as national identification numbers, full names, city of residence, and phone numbers which could have been exploited to commit identity theft, SIM-swap fraud, and targeted scams.
One significant issue with this situation was that Movistar failed to disclose the breach publicly or contact impacted customers at the time of the disclosure. As a result, there appears to be a significant gap in Sanctions / Other Means of Enforcing Security Countermeasures Laws. Since there are numerous countries that enforce GDPR-style regulations and as such, this matter should lead to a complete investigation and possible fines against those responsible but in Venezuela there is still a lack of accountability.
Cashea App Leak: A 2026 Data Shock
A second alleged data breach came to light in February of 2026. It involved a Venezuelan buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) fintech called Cashea App, which is typically heavily utilized domestically. Reports have circulated that threat actors have been offering a database, believed to hold more than 79 million transaction records. This is more than double the size and sensitivity of the data involved in the Movistar Breach.
According to reports, the leaked data included:
- Bank account details and payment methods
- Merchant profiles and internal business identifiers
- Detailed transaction histories with names, national ID numbers, timestamps, and installment data
This level of exposure goes far beyond basic identifiers. Financial transaction histories combined with personal identifiers enable sophisticated fraud, targeted social engineering, and long-term misuse of financial identities. As with the Movistar breach, no official acknowledgment or notification was issued by Cashea at the time of reporting, again underscoring Venezuela’s weak enforcement environment.
Why These Breaches Matter: The Legal Dimension
The incidents show us that there is a bigger problem with the way Venezuela has set up its framework for protecting data. For instance, the Venezuelan Constitution recognises the principles of data protection and privacy; however, these rights only exist in a theoretical manner; they lack implementing legislation, procedural clarity, and institutional enforcement.
Constitutional Basis of Data Protection
The Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) stated the core principles for protecting data are found in the Venezuelan Constitution. After the TSJ issued its 2011 ruling, Article 28 of the Venezuelan Constitution gives individuals the right to know what data the state has about them, how the state uses that data, and to correct or delete any harmful data. Article 60 of the Venezuelan Constitution protects individuals' privacy and restricts excessive data collection by the state.
The Constitutional Chamber also put into place additional guiding principles for how to protect personal data, including:
- The data subject must give prior informed and revocable consent.
- The purpose for which the data is collected must be specified and only the minimum amount of information necessary can be collected.
- The data collected must be accurate and of good quality.
- There are confidentiality obligations for third parties regarding the use of the data.
- It is the government's responsibility to put into place procedures and mechanisms to monitor compliance with the data protection laws.
- There are civil, criminal and administrative liabilities for individuals and legal entities that violate the data protection laws.
But, in a civil law country, when courts make rulings, they usually are persuasive only as opposed to being legally binding, and even constitutional rulings cannot be implemented until enabling legislation is passed.
Absence of a Comprehensive Data Protection Law
In contrast to the European Union's GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), the United States' sectoral approach, and emerging Latin American data protection systems such as the ones in Brazil, Chile and Colombia, Venezuela has no independent data protection law. This lack of law leads to numerous types of uncertainty in the realm of data protection laws:
- No defined data controller or processor obligations
- No standardized lawful bases for processing
- No clear breach notification timelines
- No independent data protection authority
- No procedural pathway for individuals to seek redress
As a result, data protection in Venezuela is not treated as an independent legal discipline but instead becomes derivative, arising incidentally within constitutional litigation or sector-specific disputes.
Regulatory Fragmentation and Institutional Weakness
Due to the TSJ decisions made in 2011, there has been a lack of regulatory action taken in a systematic fashion and instead most actions have been done on a case by case basis as valid incidents arise. The National Cybersecurity Council was established in 2024; however, its function is to support the establishment of cybersecurity infrastructure and has no defined powers regarding the enforcement of privacy.
This creates a fragmented institutional landscape where:
- Authorities lack clear jurisdiction over privacy violations
- Companies face minimal compliance guidance
- Individuals struggle to understand or enforce their rights
The Movistar and Cashea incidents highlight how this fragmentation translates into practical impunity following major data exposures.
What’s Next? A Legal Opportunity for Reform
The repercussions of insufficient safeguards for data protection extend past the damage incurred to a person's privacy:
- Loss of trust in both financial and digital services
- Heightened likelihood of financial fraud and crime
- Lack of willingness from foreign companies to conduct business with Venezuela’s platforms.
- Long-term negative impact on the reputation of domestic companies.
- Possible inability to access cross-border transfer of data due to other jurisdictions’ decisions to restrict transfers into jurisdictions without cutting-edge enforcement of protections for privacy.
In a digital economy that increasingly requires robust data protection to function successfully, a lack of action to create strong protections will cause a significant economic impact.
Conclusion
Major data breaches such as the ones at Movistar in 2025 and Cashea App in 2026 show that constitutional privacy rights alone are insufficient without enforceable legal framework. Privacy laws must move from being just a principle to being a law that has institutions, procedures, and accountability to make sure the privacy of the users is protected.
Now with the global digital economy being so interconnected, not having regulations creates openings for vulnerabilities for people. If Venezuela hopes to protect their citizens, create an innovation-friendly environment, and compete in the global market, they must implement comprehensive data privacy reforms as soon as possible.
REFERENCES
- https://iapp.org/news/a/venezuela-data-breach-highlights-scattered-privacy-regulation
- https://www.apolocybersecurity.com/en/blog-posts/ciberataque-a-movistar-que-ha-pasado-a-quien-afecta-y-como-proteger-tus-datos
- https://darknetsearch.com/knowledge/news/en/cashea-app-data-leak-79m-records-exposed-in-venezuela/
- https://www.binance.com/en-IN/square/post/294369884695410
