A video claiming to show Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praising Pakistan for mediating between the US and Iran has been circulating on social media. But here’s the thing — it’s completely fake. The video is a deepfake, created using AI technology to put words in Tharoor’s mouth that he never actually said.
If you’ve seen this clip floating around WhatsApp or YouTube, you’re not alone. It’s been shared thousands of times, with people treating it as real commentary on India’s foreign policy stance. That’s exactly why fact-checkers have stepped in to debunk it.
How Deepfakes Are Getting Dangerously Good
Deepfake technology has come a long way. These AI-generated videos can now convincingly mimic someone’s face, voice, and mannerisms. All you need is some video footage of a person and modern AI tools can synthesize new audio and video that looks shockingly authentic.
What makes this particular video concerning is that it touches on geopolitical issues — something Indians care deeply about. A false claim about a prominent political figure praising Pakistan (even on a sensitive diplomatic matter) spreads like wildfire because it triggers strong reactions.
The scary part? Most people sharing it probably didn’t stop to verify. They just saw “Shashi Tharoor” in the thumbnail and assumed it was real. That’s exactly how misinformation works in 2024.
Why This Matters for Indian Internet Users
This incident is a wake-up call for all of us scrolling through our phones. We’re entering an era where seeing isn’t always believing. A video that looks perfect might be completely fabricated.
Deepfakes aren’t new, but they’re becoming more accessible. Bad actors — whether foreign agents trying to sow discord or random troublemakers — can now create convincing fake videos of politicians, celebrities, or public figures saying embarrassing or controversial things.
The danger goes beyond embarrassment. Imagine deepfakes being used to spread false information during elections, or to create diplomatic incidents between countries. If Indians can’t trust what they see online, it creates a real problem for public discourse.
The Tharoor video is a reminder that we all need to be smarter consumers of online content. Before sharing, ask yourself: Does this come from a reliable source? Has it been verified by fact-checkers? Does it seem out of character for this person?
As deepfake technology keeps improving, the real challenge won’t be creating these videos — it’ll be spotting them. And that’s something every Indian internet user needs to learn right now.