<p>Last week, a viral clip took over social media, showing a man seemingly entranced by what many dubbed the “zombie drug”. The footage sparked alarm, with viewers speculating that the man was under the influence of a dangerous substance. Yet, the truth proved far less sensational when investigations revealed he had mixed prescribed medication with alcohol, and had no trace of illicit drugs in his system.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Bengaluru Police cautioned the individual who shared the video, warning against the spread of false information and drawing attention to the wider problem of fake news online. Increasingly, such misleading videos are being generated from Bengaluru, and they often feature alleged traffic violations, “suspicious” cars, or even dramatic, unverified weather warnings that trigger unnecessary panic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">To explore how such misinformation takes root, <span class="italic"><em>Metrolife</em></span> consulted experts on identifying fake news. Tanveer Hasan, from the Centre for Internet and Society, explained that fake news typically falls into two categories: “unintentional exaggeration and intentional misinformation, with the latter being more common today.” He recommends checking the source, intent and meaning of the clip to get a fair idea of its veracity before forwarding or sharing widely.</p>.Viral 'zombie drug' video misleading: Bengaluru top cop clarifies; urges people not to share unverified content.<p class="bodytext">Apar Gupta, advocate and founder-director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, says: “Identifying deepfakes is becoming increasingly tough as visual cues are being engineered.” Experts advise that if a claim cannot be quickly traced to a credible source, treat it as unverified. Running the headline through a search engine can help. Useful tools for spotting fake news include reverse image searches and fact-check platforms. </p>
<p>Last week, a viral clip took over social media, showing a man seemingly entranced by what many dubbed the “zombie drug”. The footage sparked alarm, with viewers speculating that the man was under the influence of a dangerous substance. Yet, the truth proved far less sensational when investigations revealed he had mixed prescribed medication with alcohol, and had no trace of illicit drugs in his system.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Bengaluru Police cautioned the individual who shared the video, warning against the spread of false information and drawing attention to the wider problem of fake news online. Increasingly, such misleading videos are being generated from Bengaluru, and they often feature alleged traffic violations, “suspicious” cars, or even dramatic, unverified weather warnings that trigger unnecessary panic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">To explore how such misinformation takes root, <span class="italic"><em>Metrolife</em></span> consulted experts on identifying fake news. Tanveer Hasan, from the Centre for Internet and Society, explained that fake news typically falls into two categories: “unintentional exaggeration and intentional misinformation, with the latter being more common today.” He recommends checking the source, intent and meaning of the clip to get a fair idea of its veracity before forwarding or sharing widely.</p>.Viral 'zombie drug' video misleading: Bengaluru top cop clarifies; urges people not to share unverified content.<p class="bodytext">Apar Gupta, advocate and founder-director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, says: “Identifying deepfakes is becoming increasingly tough as visual cues are being engineered.” Experts advise that if a claim cannot be quickly traced to a credible source, treat it as unverified. Running the headline through a search engine can help. Useful tools for spotting fake news include reverse image searches and fact-check platforms. </p>