F16 shot down, SAM in action: Fake India-Pak conflict videos flood X not because of patriotism but money

India Today

09-05-2025

On May 7, an X aka Twitter user shared a video of a fighter jet trying to avoid anti-aircraft fire. An extremely dynamic and action-packed video, it showed flares, fast manoeuvres by the jet, a lot of projectiles flying this way and that. The video ends with the jet being hit by a SAM (surface to air missile). The caption on the video reads, 'Video of the Pakistani fighter jet which was shot down by the Indian Air Force last night near Pampore, Kashmir, India.' In little over 24 hours that video had garnered 1.2 million views. The only problem with the video: it was a footage taken from a video game, most likely ARMA 3. advertisementOver the years, ARMA games have become the de-facto destination for anyone trying to get some 'war' footage. This is a game with realistic visuals, and as soon as some conflict breaks out anywhere in the world, people tend to flood social media with ARMA footage. As India and Pakistan engage in the latest conflict, ARMA footage is again all over the social media sites. But there is another factor: apart from disinformation — which may have its uses as part of 'fog of war' — this time around such content also has potential to earn fairly decent money for people who are sharing these videos.
In fact, many videos that have gone viral in the last few days from both Indian and Pakistani X users are so obviously fake that it is easy to see why they have been shared. They have nothing to do with patriotism. Instead, they were likely shared because they would go viral and then they would make money for the person who shared them. advertisementThe blame largely lies with the monetisation policy that allows verified aka Blue Tick aka paid X subscribers to earn money from the engagement they generate. The final payout at the end of a month depends on several factors but one big factor is number of views. For example, an account that gains over 15 million views in a month, fairly easy if you post emotionally-charged videos during a conflict, can earn around Rs 7000 to Rs 15000. This monetisation policy — and not patriotism — has led to a rise in accounts, many of which are anonymous and are using AI-generated visuals, that pump out provocative content around geopolitics, knowing that emotionally charged topics like India-Pakistan tensions are guaranteed to attract attention. In other words, this conflict is the busy business season for certain X influencers, somewhat like Diwali is for retailers in Chandni Chowk. Apart from the videos where fighter jets are trying to dodge fire, there are videos that show these aircraft releasing flares and firing missiles. Then there are videos that show Iron Dome style air-defence, some taken from earlier conflicts while some clearly cinematic visuals are created with AI or CGI. advertisementFact-checkers, including India's official PIB Fact Check unit, have debunked several viral videos. One clip claimed a Pakistani attack had destroyed an Indian Army post, but officials confirmed no such unit exists. Another video that allegedly showed a Rafael jet being shot down was actually from a 2021 MiG-21 crash in Punjab, noted PIB. A third, widely circulated video claiming an Indian jet was shot down near Budgam was traced by PIB Fact Check unit back to a 2019 Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash. All these videos were shared out of context, often edited with intense music and emotional captions to drive engagement.Yet, the lure of money is such that X users, and some of whom have tens of thousands of followers, do not want to pause and think. Instead, they are scourging the web for the best-looking conflict and war videos and are passing them off as clips from the India-Pakistan conflict. So much so that PIB Fact Check unit has sounded an alarm on it. Talking about a clip that has been shared by both Indian X influencers and Pakistanis, PIB noted on X: 'Pakistan Propaganda Alert! A video showing a heavy MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems) barrage is being falsely shared as a real Pakistani attack on India. #PIBFactCheck: The video is from a video game and has been online for over 3 years. It has no connection to the current India–Pakistan situation.'Tune In