Police have intensified surveillance and registered more than 6 FIRs on attempts to spread terror through AI generated videos. During the investigation, the IP address of a suspicious handle was found to be from Pakistan, while the police has appealed to the citizens not to share sensitive news without verification.
Police’s digital strike on rumor factory
Additional Police Commissioner IFSO Sanjay Bhatia said that Delhi Police teams are continuously monitoring social media. When a suspicious post comes to light, its content, claims and available facts are verified. After proper investigation, if a post is found to be misleading, devoid of facts or posing a threat to public peace and prima facie contains elements of a criminal act, then legal action is taken as per rules. He said that action has also been taken to immediately remove some objectionable posts. FIRs were registered in cases where prima facie a crime appeared to be constituted. During the investigation, efforts are being made to obtain registration details and other technical information of the concerned social media accounts, so that it can be found out from where these accounts are being operated and who are the people active behind them.
One IP address belongs to Pakistan, investigation into remaining cases continues
During investigation, in one case, when registration details of the concerned social media handle were sought, its IP address was found to be from Pakistan. Police are now investigating other facts and technical evidence related to this case. Efforts are also being made to find out whether there is any role from abroad in the operation of other suspicious handles. According to Additional Police Commissioner Sanjay Bhatia, in other cases necessary information has been sought from social media platforms and related agencies. The situation related to the operation of other accounts will become clear only after the investigation is completed and sufficient evidence emerges. At present the investigation is going on and the police is verifying the available facts before reaching any conclusion.
Attempt to spread panic through false news like ‘firing is taking place’
The cases reported by the police also include posts based on false facts in which claims of incidents like firing are made. Such news, if circulated without verification, can create fear, confusion and unnecessary panic among people. Police believe that through such misleading material, an attempt can be made to instigate public sentiments and affect peace and order. Apart from this, videos prepared with the help of artificial intelligence are also a matter of concern. Such videos may attempt to be presented as actual events without concrete facts or evidence behind their content. Police are investigating the authenticity of these videos and posts to differentiate between real incidents and misleading digital content.
Keep an eye on more than 50 misleading posts daily
Additional Commissioner of Police said that every day more than 50 such posts come to light in which there is a possibility of false or misleading facts. The media cell of Delhi Police monitors such content, verifies it and, if necessary, issues alerts to alert people. The objective of the police is not only to take action against objectionable material but also to protect the common citizens from the influence of rumours. Just because a news spreads rapidly on social media does not mean that it is true. Therefore, the police appeals to the people to check the credibility of any sensitive information before sharing it.
Multiple FIRs filed, refraining from giving exact number
According to police officials, the police is keeping an eye on more than 180 handles related to misleading and allegedly criminal content, so far 80 such accounts have been tracked. More than 6 FIRs have been registered in this case. However, the exact number of related cases has not been shared at this time. Officials clarified that the process of identifying suspicious posts, gathering technical details, investigating related accounts and verifying evidence is continuing. Police are also trying to find out whether the misleading content has been shared by an individual or a network of accounts working organically is active behind it. Further action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation and available evidence.
Appeal to the public – trust facts, not rumours.
Sanjay Bhatia has clarified that attempts to disturb public peace or mislead people by spreading wrong information on social media will be taken seriously. However, mere fact that a post is incorrect or the IP address of an account is found abroad does not automatically prove the criminal role of its operator. For this, investigation and evidence have an important place. Police appeal that citizens should not share news related to firing violence or any other sensitive incident without verification. Instead of forwarding suspicious videos and posts, report them to the concerned authorities. The spread of rumors can be stopped only through responsible digital behavior. The message is clear, no matter how fast the speed of lies on social media is, investigation of the truth and legal action will continue. To maintain the peace of the capital, Delhi Police is alert against misleading propaganda spread on digital platforms.