#FactCheck-Video Falsely Shared as Nepal Expelling Bangladeshis; Actually Shows Anti-Encroachment Drive in Dhaka
Executive Summary
A video showing uniformed personnel removing street vendors and damaging roadside stalls is being circulated on social media with the false claim that the Nepal government has started expelling Bangladeshis from the country. The viral clip is around 49 seconds long and shows authorities clearing vendors from a public area. Nepali audio can also be heard in the background, which appears to have added to the misleading narrative.
However, an research by the CyberPeace Research Wing found that the claim is false. The video is not from Nepal, but from Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, where authorities were carrying out an anti-encroachment operation near the National Stadium.
Claim:
The video was shared on X with a caption claiming that a Hindu-led government in Nepal had begun driving Bangladeshis out of the country.
Fact Check:
A close examination of the video revealed several signs contradicting the claim. Text written in Bengali can be seen at multiple places in the footage. The caps worn by uniformed personnel also appear to display “Bangladesh Police.” Investigators also noticed a stadium-like structure in the background. Comparing the visuals with street-view imagery available on Google Maps led to a match near the National Stadium area in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Further verification found a video uploaded on March 18, 2025, by a Bangladeshi news portal on YouTube containing scenes matching the viral clip. The caption described it as footage from an anti-encroachment drive in the Gulistan area of Dhaka.
A similar version of the video was also found on a Bangladeshi Instagram account uploaded on March 17, where it was again described as police action against illegal encroachments. The video credit was attributed to a person named Zahir Rehan.
While the exact date of the original footage could not be independently confirmed, available evidence clearly links the video to Bangladesh and not Nepal.
Conclusion:
The viral claim that Nepal has begun expelling Bangladeshis is false. The video actually shows an anti-encroachment drive carried out by authorities in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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Introduction
The advancement of technology has brought about remarkable changes in the aviation industry, including the introduction of inflight internet access systems. While these systems provide passengers with connectivity during their flights, they also introduce potential vulnerabilities that can compromise the security of aircraft systems.
Inflight Internet Access Systems
Inflight internet access systems have become integral to the modern air travel experience, allowing passengers to stay connected even at 30,000 feet. However, these systems can also be attractive targets for hackers, raising concerns about the safety and security of aircraft operations.
The Vulnerabilities of Inflight Internet Access Systems:
Securing Networked Avionics
Avionics, the electronic systems that support aircraft operation, play a crucial role in flight safety and navigation. While networked avionics are designed with robust security measures, they are not invulnerable to cyber threats. Therefore, it is essential to implement comprehensive security measures to protect these critical systems.
- Ensuring Robust Architecture: Networked avionics should be designed with a strong focus on security. Implementing secure network architectures, such as segmentation and isolation, can minimise the risk of unauthorised access and limit the potential impact of a breach.
- Rigorous Security Testing: Avionics systems should undergo rigorous security testing to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Regular assessments, penetration testing, and vulnerability scanning are essential to proactively address any security flaws.
- Collaborative Industry Efforts: Collaboration between manufacturers, airlines, regulatory bodies, and security researchers is crucial in strengthening the security of networked avionics. Sharing information, best practices, and lessons learned can help identify and address emerging threats effectively.
- Continuous Monitoring and Updtes: Networked avionics should be continuously monitored for any potential security breaches. Prompt updates and patches should be applied to address newly discovered vulnerabilities and protect against known attack vectors.
Best practices to be adopted for the security of Aircraft Systems
- Holistic Security Approach: Recognizing the interconnectedness of inflight internet access systems and networked avionics is essential. A holistic security approach should be adopted to address vulnerabilities in both systems and protect the overall aircraft infrastructure.
- Comprehensive Security Measures: The security of inflight internet access systems should be on par with any other internet-connected device. Strong authentication, encryption, intrusion detection, and prevention systems should be implemented to mitigate risks and ensure the integrity of data transmissions.
- Responsible Practices and Industry Collaboration: Encouraging responsible practices and fostering collaboration between security researchers and industry stakeholders can accelerate the identification and remediation of vulnerabilities. Open communication channels and a cooperative mindset are vital in addressing emerging threats effectively.
- Robust Access Controls: Strong access controls, such as multi-factor authentication and role-based access, should be implemented to limit unauthorised access to avionics systems. Only authorised personnel should have the necessary privileges to interact with these critical systems.
Conclusion
Inflight internet access systems bring convenience and connectivity to air travel but also introduce potential risks to the security of aircraft systems. It is crucial to understand and address the vulnerabilities associated with these systems to protect networked avionics and ensure passenger safety. By implementing robust security measures, conducting regular assessments, fostering collaboration, and adopting a comprehensive approach to aircraft cybersecurity, the aviation industry can mitigate the risks and navigate the sky with enhanced safety and confidence. Inflight internet access systems and networked avionics are vital components of modern aircraft, providing connectivity and supporting critical flight operations. Balancing connectivity and cybersecurity is crucial to ensure the safety and integrity of aircraft systems.
Overview:
In today’s digital landscape, safeguarding personal data and communications is more crucial than ever. WhatsApp, as one of the world’s leading messaging platforms, consistently enhances its security features to protect user interactions, offering a seamless and private messaging experience
App Lock: Secure Access with Biometric Authentication
To fortify security at the device level, WhatsApp offers an app lock feature, enabling users to protect their app with biometric authentication such as fingerprint or Face ID. This feature ensures that only authorized users can access the app, adding an additional layer of protection to private conversations.
How to Enable App Lock:
- Open WhatsApp and navigate to Settings.
- Select Privacy.
- Scroll down and tap App Lock.
- Activate Fingerprint Lock or Face ID and follow the on-screen instructions.
Chat Lock: Restrict Access to Private Conversations
WhatsApp allows users to lock specific chats, moving them to a secured folder that requires biometric authentication or a passcode for access. This feature is ideal for safeguarding sensitive conversations from unauthorized viewing.
How to Lock a Chat:
- Open WhatsApp and select the chat to be locked.
- Tap on the three dots (Android) or More Options (iPhone).
- Select Lock Chat
- Enable the lock using Fingerprint or Face ID.
Privacy Checkup: Strengthening Security Preferences
The privacy checkup tool assists users in reviewing and customizing essential security settings. It provides guidance on adjusting visibility preferences, call security, and blocked contacts, ensuring a personalized and secure communication experience.
How to Run Privacy Checkup:
- Open WhatsApp and navigate to Settings.
- Tap Privacy.
- Select Privacy Checkup and follow the prompts to adjust settings.
Automatic Blocking of Unknown Accounts and Messages
To combat spam and potential security threats, WhatsApp automatically restricts unknown accounts that send excessive messages. Users can also manually block or report suspicious contacts to further enhance security.
How to Manage Blocking of Unknown Accounts:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy.
- Tap to Advanced
- Enable Block unknown account messages
IP Address Protection in Calls
To prevent tracking and enhance privacy, WhatsApp provides an option to hide IP addresses during calls. When enabled, calls are routed through WhatsApp’s servers, preventing location exposure via direct connections.
How to Enable IP Address Protection in Calls:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, then tap Advanced.
- Enable Protect IP Address in Calls.
Disappearing Messages: Auto-Deleting Conversations
Disappearing messages help maintain confidentiality by automatically deleting sent messages after a predefined period—24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. This feature is particularly beneficial for reducing digital footprints.
How to Enable Disappearing Messages:
- Open the chat and tap the Chat Name.
- Select Disappearing Messages.
- Choose the preferred duration before messages disappear.
View Once: One-Time Access to Media Files
The ‘View Once’ feature ensures that shared photos and videos can only be viewed a single time before being automatically deleted, reducing the risk of unauthorized storage or redistribution.
How to Send View Once Media:
- Open a chat and tap the attachment icon.
- Choose Camera or Gallery to select media.
- Tap the ‘1’ icon before sending the media file.
Group Privacy Controls: Manage Who Can Add You
WhatsApp provides users with the ability to control group invitations, preventing unwanted additions by unknown individuals. Users can restrict group invitations to ‘Everyone,’ ‘My Contacts,’ or ‘My Contacts Except…’ for enhanced privacy.
How to Adjust Group Privacy Settings:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy and tap Groups.
- Choose from the available options: Everyone, My Contacts, or My Contacts Except
Conclusion
WhatsApp continuously enhances its security features to protect user privacy and ensure safe communication. With tools like App Lock, Chat Lock, Privacy Checkup, IP Address Protection, and Disappearing Messages, users can safeguard their data and interactions. Features like View Once and Group Privacy Controls further enhance confidentiality. By enabling these settings, users can maintain a secure and private messaging experience, effectively reducing risks associated with unauthorized access, tracking, and digital footprints. Stay updated and leverage these features for enhanced security.
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Data has become a critical asset for the advancement of a nation’s economic, social, and technological development. India’s emergence as a global digital economy hub makes it necessary to create a robust framework that addresses the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation. The Indian government introduced the Draft National Data Governance Framework Policy in 2022, aiming to create a comprehensive data handling and governance framework. This policy draft addresses key challenges in data management, privacy, and digital economy growth. As per the recent media reports, the Draft National Data Governance Policy so prepared is under the finalisation stage, the government specified in its implementation document for the Budget 2023-24 announcement. The policy also aims to address the country's AI adoption and the issue of lack of datasets by providing widespread access to anonymized data.
Background and Need for the Policy
India has a robust digital economy with its adoption of the Digital India Initiative, Aadhaar digital identification, UPI for seamless payments and many more. In India, 751.5 million people connect to the internet, and is home to 462.0 million social media users in January 2024, equivalent to 32.2% of its total population (Data Reportal 2024). This has brought challenges including data privacy concerns, cybersecurity threats, digital exclusion, and a need for better regulation frameworks. To overcome them, the Draft National Data Governance Policy has been designed to provide institutional frameworks for data rules, standards, guidelines, and protocols for the sharing of non-personal data sets in a manner that ensures privacy, security, and trust so that they remain secure, transparent, and accountable.
Objectives omphasizesf the Framework
The objective of the Framework Policy is to accelerate Digital Governance in India. The framework will standardize data management and security standards across the Government. It will promote transparency, accountability, and ownership in Non-Personal data and dataset access and build a platform to receive and process data requests. It will also set quality standards and promote the expansion of the datasets program and overall non-personal ecosystem. Further, it aims to build India’s digital government goals and capacity, knowledge, and competency in Government departments and entities. All this would be done while ensuring greater citizen awareness, participation, and engagement.
Key Provisions of the Draft Policy
The Draft Framework Policy aims to establish a cohesive digital governance ecosystem in India that balances the need for data utilization with protecting citizens' privacy rights. It sets up an institutional framework of the "India Data Management Office (IDMO) set up under the Digital India Corporation (DIC) which will be responsible for developing rules, standards, and guidelines under this Policy.
The key provisions of the framework policy include:
- Promoting interoperability among government digital platforms, ensuring data privacy through data anonymization and security, and enhancing citizen access to government services through digital means.
- The policy e the creation of unified digital IDs, a standardisation in digital processes, and data-sharing guidelines across ministries to improve efficiency.
- It also focuses on building digital infrastructure, such as cloud services and data centres in order to support e-governance initiatives.
- Furthermore, it encourages public-private partnerships and sets guidelines for accountability and transparency in digital governance.
Implications and Concerns of the Framework
- The policy potentially impacts data sharing in India as it mentions data anonymization. The scale of data that would need to be anonymised in India is at a very large scale and it could become a potential challenge to engage in.
- Data localization and cross-border transfers have raised concerns among global tech companies and trade partners. They argue that such requirements could increase operational costs and hinder cross-border data flows. Striking a balance between protecting national interests and facilitating business operations remains a critical challenge.
- Another challenge associated with the policy is over-data centralization under the IDMO and the potential risks of government overreach in data access.
Key Takeaways and Recommendations
The GDPR in the European Union and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act passed in 2023 in India and many others are the data privacy laws in force in different countries. The policy needs to be aligned with the DPDP Act, 2023 and be updated as per the recent developments. It further needs to maintain transparency over the sharing of data and a user’s control. The policy needs engagement with industry experts, privacy advocates, and civil society to ensure a balance of innovation with privacy and security.
Conclusion
The Draft National Data Governance Framework Policy of 2022 represents a significant stage in shaping India's digital future. It ensures the evolution of data governance evolves alongside technological advancements. The framework policy seeks to foster a robust digital ecosystem that benefits citizens, businesses, and the government alike by focusing on the essentials of data privacy, transparency, and security. However, achieving this vision requires addressing concerns like data centralisation, cross-border data flows, and maintaining alignment with global privacy standards. Continued engagement with stakeholders and necessary updates to the draft policy will be crucial to its success in balancing innovation with user rights and data integrity. The final version of the policy is expected to be released soon.
References
- https://meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/National-Data-Governance-Framework-Policy.pdf
- https://datareportal.com/?utm_source=DataReportal&utm_medium=Country_Article_Hyperlink&utm_campaign=Digital_2024&utm_term=India&utm_content=Home_Page_Link
- https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2023/03/data-by-people-for-people-tiwari-packer-matthan
- https://inc42.com/buzz/draft-national-data-governance-policy-under-finalisation-centre/
- https://legal.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/government-unveiled-national-data-governance-policy-in-budget-2023/97680515
