Author | Lightnews

Akhil Ranjan

Akhil Ranjan

@akhilr23.bsky.social

94 followers 400 following 23 posts

Journalist & OSINT enthusiast; via @Twitter 1.0, @AFP Fact-Check & @BBC फ़ेक न्यूज़, मीडिया और लोकतंत्र (नवारुण प्रकाशन): https://shorturl.at/wL0lm

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Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · 25d

Google reduces Political Ads Transparency tool to only 12 countries – none from the EU!

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Oct 3

Amateur use of generative AI tools en masse and a lack of media literacy are creating unique problems and setting dangerous examples in India.
www.boomlive.in/decode/a-stu...

A Student's ChatGPT Prank Sent an Entire City Hunting for Phantom Leopards | BOOM

AI tools that allow hyper-realistic edits showed leopards wandering in Lucknow's residential areas sending local police and forest department officials on a wild goose chase.

www.boomlive.in

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Sep 9

A delayed announcement, but happy to share that I've completed a Master’s in Investigative Journalism at City, University of London.

As I step into the job market afresh, I'd be grateful for any heads up about work opportunities where you think I’d be a good fit or leads on stories I can pursue 🙏

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Sep 9

Alas… what a deplorable sight!

I worked with Twitter’s global disinformation team, and helped combat falsehood and hate-speech on the platform.

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Sep 1

Hello Chris, I've just completed a master's in investigative journalism at City, University of London, and trying to step into freelancing. I would be grateful if you might spare some time for a chat, thank you!

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 17

#Serving

Another powerful performance by #MirianaConte of #Malta 🇲🇹

#Eurovision #Eurovision2025 #ESC2025

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 17

#RememberMonday

Sounds like a warning on a Saturday night...!!

#WhatTheHellJustHappened #UnitedKingdom #Eurovision #Eurovision2025 #ESC2025

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 17

#ExpressoMacchiato

What an addictive song, my favourite so far and I'm going to be hooked for a long time...!!

#Eurovision #Eurovision2025 #ESC2025 #TommyCash

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 7

🚨 #Misinformation on #OperationSindoor 5/n

At least two-month-old video of a massive explosion is being shared with false claim that it shows India's recent strike in Sialkot, #Pakistan.

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 7

🚨 #Misinformation on #OperationSindoor 4/n

"Fuelled by emotion, bias, prejudice, and hyper-patriotism, ordinary individuals have become unaware and misinformed foot soldiers in a digital war over social media platforms.
www.ptinews.com/fact-detail/...

Press Trust Of India

www.ptinews.com

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 7

🚨 #Misinformation on #OperationSindoor 3/n

A prominent Indian YouTuber shared a military simulation video, falsely claiming it to be actual footage of India’s #OperationSindoor in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 7

🚨 #Misinformation on #OperationSindoor 2/n

Indian politician Dr. Nishikant Dubey also fell for misinformation circulated by a Pakistani Twitter handle impersonating an Indian account.

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 7

🚨 #Misinformation on #OperationSindoor 1/n

Renowned Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir shared a four-year-old visual of a MiG-21 crash in India's Punjab as 'confirmation' of Pakistan’s claim of shooting down Indian fighter jets during the #OperationSindoor.

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 7

In addition to ordinary citizens, several media organisations, journalists, and politicians from both sides have been found sharing old and unrelated visuals, along with false or misleading claims about #OperationSindoor and its aftermath. Following are a few example...

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · May 7

#Misinformation is rife on social media as tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following Indian military's #OperationSindoor targeting "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan & Pakistan-administered Kashmir in retaliation of #PahalgamAttack on 22 April that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Dec 24

An interesting read...!! #Cambodia #TikTok #MonkTok

TikTok’s viral monks are clashing with Buddhist authorities

Superstar monks have built massive followings — but dancing, singing, and fame-seeking are all violations of the monastic code.

restofworld.org

Reposted by Akhil Ranjan

Craig Silverman @craigsilverman.bsky.social · Dec 5

We uncovered more than 100k deceptive US election/social issues ads across +200 FB pages. The ads used deepfakes of Trump, Biden & others to make false claims about gov subsidies and to hawk Trump merch. Meta earned more than **$25 million** from the ads. Story: www.propublica.org/article/face...

Exploiting Meta’s Weaknesses, Deceptive Political Ads Thrived on Facebook and Instagram in Run-Up to Election

Despite Meta's stated commitment to crack down on harmful content, it failed to catch tens of thousands of ads that used false claims and deepfakes of political figures to collect users’ sensitive per...

www.propublica.org

Reposted by Akhil Ranjan

Craig Silverman @craigsilverman.bsky.social · Dec 5

Meta released a review of activity on its platforms during an unprecedented year of elections. It covers a lot of ground but fails to address how Meta’s political ad system has been abused to scam and deceive people on a global scale during such a critical year for democracy. Here’s a rundown 🧵:

Image of a Meta blog post with the headline, "What we saw on our platforms during 20214's global elections."

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Dec 2

A group of right-wing media in India have been sharing old and unrelated visuals alongside claim they show atrocities against the Hindu community in wake of the current political unrest in Bangladesh. Here is a latest one joined by RT India, the Indian unit of Russian state controlled news media.

RT India Peddles Video Of Kali Idol Dismantling Tradition In WB As Vandalism | BOOM

BOOM found that the video is from East Bardhaman district in West Bengal and there is no communal angle to the incident.

www.boomlive.in

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Dec 1

This #AI detection tool created by #TrueMedia intends to help by identifying signs of manipulated pictures and videos posted on social media.

TrueMedia.org detects political deepfakes in social media. Non-profit, non-partisan, and free.

www.truemedia.org

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Dec 1

"It’s a web of digital fraud that has been systematically unraveling the dreams of hundreds of Indian parents."

Inside India's Child Modeling Scam Machine: It Starts With A Click | BOOM

Starry-eyed parents wanting their kids to be the face of big brands are being scammed through a maze of Facebook ads, Telegram groups, scamsters sitting abroad and their money mules in India.

www.boomlive.in

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Dec 1

What an irony...!!

"The Election Commission is not the only Indian government-adjacent entity still using this banned scanning app. Rest of World found 30 other instances of documents uploaded by government departments and ministries that were scanned with CamScanner since the app was banned..."

India banned a Chinese app four years ago. Government agencies are still using it

CamScanner was one of 59 Chinese apps the Indian government banned in 2020, amid a border conflict with China.

restofworld.org

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Aug 11

A byline worth mention after a long time...!!

Dramatised videos, apparently created for entertainment & awareness, are widely being shared on social media as true events with false claims to stoke religious bigotry & misogyny in India. #FakeNews
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-66432198

Staged videos fuel religious hate and misogyny in India

Scripted videos, apparently created for entertainment, are being shared to make them seem like real events.

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Jun 16

Counting Russia's dead in Ukraine... #UkraineWar

Wonderful example of investigative journalism & visual storytelling through online data collection & verification…!!

Counting Russia's dead in Ukraine - and what it says about the changing face of the war - BBC News

What we learned from counting the Russian dead

Akhil Ranjan @akhilr23.bsky.social · Jun 15

#Soho in London is brimming with #PrideEdition #EmojiShower… 💕