#FactCheck - Viral Video of ‘Hatha Yogi’ Meditating on Snowy Mountain Is AI-Generated
A video claiming to show a Hatha yogi performing extreme penance on a snow-covered mountain amid strong icy winds is going viral on social media. In the clip, the ascetic is seen balancing on one hand in a yoga posture, while users portray the visuals as a rare example of extraordinary spiritual endurance in harsh climatic conditions.
However, an investigation by the CyberPeace Foundation has found the claim to be false. Our analysis confirms that the viral video is AI-generated and does not depict a real person or an actual event.
Claim:
A Instagram user shared the video with the caption:
“Hatha yogi, what kind of soil are these people made of?” The post suggests that the visuals show a real yogi performing intense meditation on a frozen mountain.
- https://www.instagram.com/reels/DTK32TvDGIJ/
- (Archive link as provided) https://perma.cc/H84M-MGXZ
Fact Check:
To verify the claim, the CyberPeace Foundation conducted a detailed examination of the viral video.No credible or verifiable news reports were found to support the claim that such an incident ever occurred.
The viral video was analysed using the AI detection tool Deepfake-O-Meter.Its AVSRDD (2025) module flagged the video as AI-generated, confirming that the visuals were digitally created and not recorded in real life.
Multiple indicators within the footage,such as unnatural body balance, environmental inconsistencies, and visual artifacts are consistent with AI-generated content.
Conclusion
The viral video purportedly showing a yogi meditating on a frozen mountain is not real. It has been created using artificial intelligence and is being circulated on social media with a misleading narrative. Users are advised to exercise caution and verify content before sharing such sensational claims.
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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.
Executive Summary
An image of a purported new ₹500 plastic banknote is being widely shared on social media. Users claim that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued the new note and replaced Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait with the Ashoka Pillar.The CyberPeace Research Wing research found the claim to be misleading. The probe revealed that RBI has not issued any new ₹500 plastic banknote. Furthermore, no official announcement or decision has been made regarding the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait from Indian currency and its replacement with the Ashoka Pillar.
Claim
An Instagram user shared the viral image with the claim: “RBI has issued a ₹500 plastic note in which Mahatma Gandhi’s image has been removed and replaced with the Ashoka Pillar.” The claim has been widely circulated on social media, with many users sharing the image as genuine. The post link, archived version, and screenshot can be seen below.
Fact Check
To verify the claim, we conducted a keyword search on Google. However, we found no credible media reports suggesting that RBI had issued a new ₹500 plastic note featuring the Ashoka Pillar in place of Mahatma Gandhi. We then searched the official RBI website for any notification or announcement related to the claim. Our search yielded no official communication supporting the viral claim.
During the research, we also came across a report published by Business Standard. According to the report, the Reserve Bank of India is exploring the possibility of introducing polymer (plastic) currency notes in the future. The report states that RBI is studying and discussing the proposal in view of the growing global adoption of polymer notes and their greater durability. However, the report does not state that RBI has already issued a new ₹500 plastic note. Nor does it mention any decision to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait from existing currency notes and replace it with the Ashoka Pillar.
- https://www.business-standard.com/finance/news/rbi-set-to-unveil-polymer-rupee-notes-amid-rising-currency-demand-126052801725_1.html
Conclusion
The research found that the viral claim is misleading. RBI has not issued any new ₹500 plastic banknote, and there has been no official announcement or decision to replace Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait on Indian currency with the Ashoka Pillar.
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Starting on 16th February 2025, Google changed its advertisement platform program policy. It will permit advertisers to employ device fingerprinting techniques for user tracking. Organizations that use their advertising services are now permitted to use fingerprinting techniques for tracking their users' data. Originally announced on 18th December 2024, this rule change has sparked yet another debate regarding privacy and profits.
The Issue
Fingerprinting is a technique that allows for the collection of information about a user’s device and browser details, ultimately enabling the creation of a profile of the user. Not only used for or limited to targeting advertisements, data procured in such a manner can be used by private entities and even government organizations to identify individuals who access their services. If information on customization options, such as language settings and a user’s screen size, is collected, it becomes easier to identify an individual when combined with data points like browser type, time zone, battery status, and even IP address.
What makes this technique contentious at the moment is the lack of awareness regarding the information being collected from the user and the inability to opt out once permissions are granted.
This is unlike Google’s standard system of data collection through permission requests, such as accepting website cookies—small text files sent to the browser when a user visits a particular website. While contextual and first-party cookies limit data collection to enhance user experience, third-party cookies enable the display of irrelevant advertisements while users browse different platforms. Due to this functionality, companies can engage in targeted advertising.
This issue has been addressed in laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union (EU) and the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 (India), which mandate strict rules and regulations regarding advertising, data collection, and consent, among other things. One of the major requirements in both laws is obtaining clear, unambiguous consent. This also includes the option to opt out of previously granted permissions for cookies.
However, in the case of fingerprinting, the mechanism of data collection relies on signals that users cannot easily erase. While clearing all data from the browser or refusing cookies might seem like appropriate steps to take, they do not prevent tracking through fingerprinting, as users can still be identified using system details that a website has already collected. This applies to all IoT products as well. People usually do not frequently change the devices they use, and once a system is identified, there are no available options to stop tracking, as fingerprinting relies on device characteristics rather than data-collecting text files that could otherwise be blocked.
Google’s Changing Stance
According to Statista, Google’s revenue is largely made up of the advertisement services it provides (amounting to 264.59 billion U.S. dollars in 2024). Any change in its advertisement program policies draws significant attention due to its economic impact.
In 2019, Google claimed in a blog post that fingerprinting was a technique that “subverts user choice and is wrong.” It is in this context that the recent policy shift comes as a surprise. In response, the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office), the UK’s data privacy watchdog, has stated that this change is irresponsible. Google, however, is eager to have further discussions with the ICO regarding the policy change.
Conclusion
The debate regarding privacy in targeted advertising has been ongoing for quite some time. Concerns about digital data collection and storage have led to new and evolving laws that mandate strict fines for non-compliance.
Google’s shift in policy raises pressing concerns about user privacy and transparency. Fingerprinting, unlike cookies, offers no opt-out mechanism, leaving users vulnerable to continuous tracking without consent. This move contradicts Google’s previous stance and challenges global regulations like the GDPR and DPDP Act, which emphasize clear user consent.
With regulators like the ICO expressing disapproval, the debate between corporate profits and individual privacy intensifies. As digital footprints become harder to erase, users, lawmakers, and watchdogs must scrutinize such changes to ensure that innovation does not come at the cost of fundamental privacy rights
References
- https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/profit-over-privacy-google-gives-advertisers-more-personal-info-in-major-fingerprinting-u-turn
- https://www.ccn.com/news/technology/googles-new-fingerprinting-policy-sparks-privacy-backlash-as-ads-become-harder-to-avoid/
- https://www.emarketer.com/content/google-pivot-digital-fingerprinting-enable-better-cross-device-measurement
- https://www.lewissilkin.com/insights/2025/01/16/google-adopts-new-stance-on-device-fingerprinting-102ju7b
- https://www.lewissilkin.com/insights/2025/01/16/ico-consults-on-storage-and-access-cookies-guidance-102ju62
- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm21g0052dno
- https://www.techradar.com/features/browser-fingerprinting-explained
- https://fingerprint.com/blog/canvas-fingerprinting/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/266206/googles-annual-global-revenue/#:~:text=In%20the%20most%20recently%20reported,billion%20U.S.%20dollars%20in%202024
