#FactCheck-RBI's Alleged Guidelines on Ink Colour for Cheque Writing
Executive Summary:
A viral message is circulating claiming the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has banned the use of black ink for writing cheques. This information is incorrect. The RBI has not issued any such directive, and cheques written in black ink remain valid and acceptable.
Claim:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued new guidelines prohibiting using black ink for writing cheques. As per the claimed directive, cheques must now be written exclusively in blue or green ink.
Fact Check:
Upon thorough verification, it has been confirmed that the claim regarding the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issuing a directive banning the use of black ink for writing cheques is entirely false. No such notification, guideline, or instruction has been released by the RBI in this regard. Cheques written in black ink remain valid, and the public is advised to disregard such unverified messages and rely only on official communications for accurate information.
As stated by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), this claim is false The Reserve Bank of India has not prescribed specific ink colors to be used for writing cheques. There is a mention of the color of ink to be used in point number 8, which discusses the care customers should take while writing cheques.
Conclusion:
The claim that the Reserve Bank of India has banned the use of black ink for writing cheques is completely false. No such directive, rule, or guideline has been issued by the RBI. Cheques written in black ink are valid and acceptable. The RBI has not prescribed any specific ink color for writing cheques, and the public is advised to disregard unverified messages. While general precautions for filling out cheques are mentioned in RBI advisories, there is no restriction on the color of the ink. Always refer to official sources for accurate information.
- Claim: The new RBI ink guidelines are mandatory from a specified date.
- Claimed On: Social Media
- Fact Check: False and Misleading
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Executive Summary
A video is being shared on social media showing a multi-storey building located beside what appears to be a river. A road runs alongside the building, with visible erosion and large cracks. A crowd of people can be seen standing near the edge of the road close to the building. Suddenly, the front portion of the building collapses into the water, followed moments later by the rear section tilting and falling into the river. As the building collapses, people are seen running in panic. The video is being shared with the claim that it shows a real incident in which a multi-storey building collapsed like a house of cards due to heavy rainfall, a swollen river, and severe erosion that also caused part of the road to cave in. CyberPeace Research Wing’s research found the viral claim to be false. Our research revealed that the video is not real. It was generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is being circulated with a false claim.
Claim
An Instagram user shared the viral video on July 15, 2026, claiming that it shows a multi-storey building collapsing into a swollen river due to heavy rainfall and strong water currents, while part of the adjacent road also collapsed because of a landslide.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DazTcrBCBrI/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we extracted several keyframes from the viral video and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. During the research, we found no credible news reports, authentic videos, or reliable sources related to the incident. However, we found the same video uploaded on a YouTube Shorts channel named @mohammedalmekhlafiht1555. The channel's cover image describes the creator as an "AI & Automation Engineer." In addition, the descriptions of videos uploaded on the channel explicitly mention "Made With AI."
https://youtube.com/shorts/zFotETyAz8E?si=b6wj_eAG-nj7U1HE
We also carried out a detailed visual analysis of the footage. During the collapse, the front portion of the building falls into the water almost as a single block without breaking apart, which is highly unrealistic. After a brief pause, the rear section tilts and also falls almost intact onto the first section, without disintegrating despite the massive impact. The behaviour of people in the video also appears unnatural. Some individuals are seen running with their hands raised, while others inexplicably move toward the collapsing building and even jump into the water. Workers repairing the damaged road appear completely unaffected by the nearby collapse. In a real structural failure of this magnitude, buildings typically break apart into multiple sections, generating debris, dust, and strong shockwaves that would significantly affect nearby people.
In the next stage of our research, we analysed the video using the AI detection tool Hive Moderation, which indicated a 78.1% probability that the video was AI-generated.
For additional verification, we also examined the video using AI or Not, which concluded that the footage has a 96% probability of being AI-generated.
Finally, we analysed the video using Wasit.AI, which also indicated a 75% probability that the video had been created using Artificial Intelligence.
Conclusion
Our research found that the viral video does not depict a real incident. It was generated using Artificial Intelligence and is being shared on social media with a false and misleading claim that it shows a multi-storey building collapsing into a river due to heavy rainfall and erosion.
Introduction
Misinformation spreads differently with respect to different host environments, making localised cultural narratives and practices major factors in how an individual deals with it when presented in a certain place and to a certain group. In the digital age, with time-sensitive data, an overload of information creates a lot of noise which makes it harder to make informed decisions. There are also cases where customary beliefs, biases, and cultural narratives are presented in ways that are untrue. These instances often include misinformation related to health and superstitions, historical distortions, and natural disasters and myths. Such narratives, when shared on social media, can lead to widespread misconceptions and even harmful behaviours. For example, it may also include misinformation that goes against scientific consensus or misinformation that contradicts simple, objectively true facts. In such ambiguous situations, there is a higher probability of people falling back on patterns in determining what information is right or wrong. Here, cultural narratives and cognitive biases come into play.
Misinformation and Cultural Narratives
Cultural narratives include deep-seated cultural beliefs, folklore, and national myths. These narratives can also be used to manipulate public opinion as political and social groups often leverage them to proceed with their agenda. Lack of digital literacy and increasing information online along with social media platforms and their focus on generating algorithms for engagement aids this process. The consequences can even prove to be fatal.
During COVID-19, false claims targeted certain groups as being virus spreaders fueled stigmatisation and eroded trust. Similarly, vaccine misinformation, rooted in cultural fears, spurred hesitancy and outbreaks. Beyond health, manipulated narratives about parts of history are spread depending on the sentiments of the people. These instances exploit emotional and cultural sensitivities, emphasizing the urgent need for media literacy and awareness to counter their harmful effects.
CyberPeace Recommendations
As cultural narratives may lead to knowingly or unknowingly spreading misinformation on social media platforms, netizens must consider preventive measures that can help them build resilience against any biased misinformation they may encounter. The social media platforms must also develop strategies to counter such types of misinformation.
- Digital and Information Literacy: Netizens must encourage developing digital and information literacy in a time of information overload on social media platforms.
- The Role Of Media: The media outlets can play an active role, by strictly providing fact-based information and not feeding into narratives to garner eyeballs. Social media platforms also need to be careful while creating algorithms focused on consistent engagement.
- Community Fact-Checking: As localised information prevails in such cases, owing to the time-sensitive nature, immediate debunking of precarious information by authorities at the ground level is encouraged.
- Scientifically Correct Information: Starting early and addressing myths and biases through factual and scientifically correct information is also encouraged.
Conclusion
Cultural narratives are an ingrained part of society, and they might affect how misinformation spreads and what we end up believing. Acknowledging this process and taking counter measures will allow us to move further and take steps for intervention regarding tackling the spread of misinformation specifically aided by cultural narratives. Efforts to raise awareness and educate the public to seek sound information, practice verification checks, and visit official channels are of the utmost importance.
References
- https://www.icf.com/insights/cybersecurity/developing-effective-responses-to-fake-new
- https://www.dw.com/en/india-fake-news-problem-fueled-by-digital-illiteracy/a-56746776
- https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/how-why-misinformation-spreads
Introduction
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently issued the “Email Policy of Government of India, 2024.” It is an updated email policy for central government employees, requiring the exclusive use of official government emails managed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for public duties. The policy replaces 2015 guidelines and prohibits government employees, contractors, and consultants from using their official email addresses on social media or other websites unless authorised for official functions. The policy aims to reinforce cybersecurity measures and protocols, maintain secure communications, and ensure compliance across departments. It is not legally binding, but its gazette notification ensures compliance and maintains cyber resilience in communications. The updated policy is also aligned with the newly enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
Brief Highlights of Email Policy of Government of India, 2024
- The Email Policy of the Government of India, 2024 is divided into three parts namely, Part I: Introduction, Part II: Terms of Use, Part III: Functions, duties and Responsibilities, and with an annexe attached to it defining the meaning of certain organisation types in relation to this policy.
- The policy direct to not use NICeMail address for registering on any social media or other websites or mobile applications, save for the performance of official duties or with due authorisation from the authority competent.
- Under this new policy, “core use organisations” (central government departments and other government-controlled entities that do not provide goods or services on commercial terms) and its users shall use only NICeMail for official purposes.
- However, where the Core Use Organisation has an office or establishment outside India, to ensure availability of local communication channels under exigent circumstances may use alternative email services hosted outside India with all due approval.
- Core Use Organisations, including those dealing with national security, have their own independent email servers and can continue operating their independent email servers provided the servers are hosted in India. They should also consider migrating their email services to NICeMail Services for security and uniform policy enforcement.
- The policy also requires departments that currently use @gov.in or @nic.in to instead migrate to @departmentname.gov.in mail domains so that information sanctity and integrity can be maintained when officials are transferred from one department/ministry to another, and so that the ministry/department doesn’t lose access to the official communication. For this, the department or ministry in question must register the domain name with NIC. For instance, MeitY has registered the mail domain @meity.gov.in. The policy gives government departments six months time period complete this migration.
- The policy also makes distinction between (1) Organisation-linked email addresses and (2) Service-linked email addresses. The policy in respect of “organisation-linked email addresses” is laid down in paragraphs 5.3.2(a) and 5.4 to 5.6.3. And the policy in respect of “service-linked email addresses” is laid down in paragraphs 5.3.2(b) and 5.7 to 5.7.2 under the official document of said policy.
- Further, the new policy includes specific directives on separating the email addresses of regular government employees from those of contractors or consultants to improve operational clarity.
CyberPeace Policy Outlook
The revised Email Policy of the Government of India reflects the government’s proactive response to countering the evolving cybersecurity challenges and aims to maintain cyber resilience across the government department’s email communications. The policy represents a significant step towards securing inter government and intra-government communications. We as a cybersecurity expert organisation emphasise the importance of protecting sensitive data against cyber threats, particularly in a world increasingly targeted by sophisticated phishing and malware attacks, and we advocate for safe and secure online communication and information exchange. Email communications hold sensitive information and therefore require robust policies and mechanisms in place to safeguard the communications and ensure that sensitive data is shielded through regulated and secure email usage with technical capabilities for safe use. The proactive step taken by MeitY is commendable and aligned with securing governmental communication channels.
References:
- https://www.meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Email-policy-30-10-2024.pdf-(Official document for Email Policy of Government of India, 2024.
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/dont-use-govt-email-ids-for-social-media-central-govt-policy-for-employees-101730312997936.html#:~:text=Government%20employees%20must%20not%20use,email%20policy%20issued%20on%20Wednesday
- https://bwpeople.in/article/new-email-policy-issued-for-central-govt-employees-to-strengthen-cybersecurity-measures-537805
- https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-notifies-email-policy-for-ministries-central-departments/article68815537.ece
