Deepfakes, manipulated content raise serious concerns over misinformation

The fact-check unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), in the past one month, has flagged over 50 instances of deepfakes, manipulated videos, and various other types of misinformation circulated on social media platforms, many of which were posted by “Pakistani propaganda” handles, it found.

Fake statements attributed to top government functionaries, including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and the Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi were identified.

About a dozen posts carried content manipulated by deepfakes or Artificial Intelligence (AI), raising serious concerns over the steep rise in the use of such means to spread misinformation.

​ Too fake to be good: On AI-generated imagery, labelling

A digitally manipulated video of Mr. Modi was circulated online by Pakistani propaganda accounts, falsely claiming that Pakistan had destroyed India’s Rafale jets, the fact-check unit said. “Such manipulated videos are being deliberately shared to mislead the public as part of Pakistan’s ongoing misinformation campaign against India,” the PIB’s fact-check unit said on social media platform X.

A fake claim was being made through an AI-generated video of Mr. Modi, shared by the Instagram handle ‘rounakkumartalks’, which said the Central government would provide free scooters to “women on Aadhaar cards”, the PIB’s fact-check unit said.. An advertisement for some investment scheme, circulating on Facebook, used an AI-generated and digitally manipulated video of Mr. Modi.

The government also identified a “Pakistani propaganda account @Proudindiannavi” for spreading false claims about an attack on an Iranian ship. A digitally manipulated video of the Defence Minister was being circulated online “by Pakistani propaganda accounts, falsely claiming that he made remarks supporting Israel’s attack on Iran”, the fact-check unit said.

“A video circulating on Facebook falsely claims, using digitally altered AI-generated content, that Union Minister Rajnath Singh is promoting an investment project promising returns of ₹80,000 in a single day and up to ₹15 lakh per month on an investment of ₹22,000…This video is FAKE and AI-generated,” the fact-check unit said.

Yet another “deepfake video alert” pertained to “Pakistani propaganda” accounts sharing a digitally manipulated video of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar “with false claims alleging that he said India would not tolerate Muslim countries harassing Israel and that Israel recently granted $3 billion to the Afghan Taliban at India’s request”.

Multiple instances of deepfake, digitally altered, and AI-generated content purportedly showing as linked to the Union Finance Minister were also detected. They offered bogus investment schemes and suspect AI trading software. “Fraudsters often use edited videos of public figures to mislead people and lure them into fraudulent investment schemes. Always verify such claims through official government sources and avoid clicking on suspicious links or sharing personal or financial information online,” the PIB’s fact-check unit cautioned in one post.

Amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, as stated by the fact-check unit, Pakistani propaganda accounts were found sharing a digitally manipulated video of General Dwivedi related to an Iranian ship. Based on the video, a Turkish newspaper had falsely claimed that India had admitted to sharing the Iranian ship’s location with Israel. One digitally manipulated video falsely showed Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor claiming that the Indian Air Force had raised serious concerns about Tejas aircraft.

“Caution! Pakistani propaganda accounts on social media are sharing AI-generated videos in which a person, impersonating an Indian Air Force officer, is making false claims about the Indian Air Force,” the PIB fact-check unit said in a post, stating that the video had been created using AI.

The unit also flagged a “fake”, viral Instagram reel which claimed that after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, the supply of petrol and diesel in India could be affected, leading to an expected increase in petrol and diesel prices.

Several “pro-Pakistani” social media handles circulated an old video of an anti-narcotics operation in Tripura, claiming that, in some areas of Manipur, Indian security forces had laid down their arms and withdrawn in large numbers following public protests. Some content falsely claimed injuries were suffered by security personnel in Jammu & Kashmir, and falsely reported the capture of an Indian Air Force helicopter by extremists in Manipur.

Attempts were also made to spread panic with a false claim about one suspected human case of avian influenza reported in India, the PIB’s fact-check unit said.

Published – March 12, 2026 06:25 pm IST