Viral video: Are Indian police naming and shaming traffic law violators by posting their photos on street billboards?

Multiple tweets and Facebook posts have shared a clip claiming that it shows traffic police publicly displaying pictures of people that have broken traffic laws in the southern Indian city of Chennai.

The caption claims the video attached to the tweet shows a signboard in Chennai that displays pictures of those that have broken traffic laws, their offence and the fine imposed on them.

"Great innovation. Ideas Delhi? There are many rogue drivers on the roads," reads a tweet posted on June 22, 2023.

The post also features a video that appears to show a person's face along with the text "Crossed Red Signal" and "Fine of 1000".

However, the person who uploaded the original clip told AFP he had created it with visual effects (VFX). A spokesperson for Chennai police has also told AFP they do not operate such a programme.

What netizens say

Comments from some users suggested they believed the video was genuine with some praising the Chennai traffic police while others expressing worries over the purported scheme.

"Great idea. It makes people ashamed not to repeat the error. It should be implemented in Mumbai as well," one wrote.

Another said: "Total surveillance?? Why is my face being revealed?? Citizens must ask for privacy of your data."

However, the person that uploaded the original video told AFP it was in fact modified with visual effects.

Digitally edited

Google reverse image and keyword searches found the video posted on an Instagram account on June 8, 2023.

The video's caption says: "This video is a concept video. Signal tracker in Chennai to avoid traffic rules violations."

The account where the video was posted describes itself as a "VFX artist/animators" page.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (left) and the one posted on Instagram (right):

Syed Abrar, who runs the account, told AFP on July 6: "The original video was shot near Marina Beach in Chennai and edited by our VFX artist Amir Khan on Blender, a computer graphics software. My photo appears on the screen and the person reacting to the video is a friend."

The Instagram account has uploaded several other concept videos.

R. Sakthivel, a senior traffic policeman in Chennai, told AFP the claim in the video is false and police have no plans to implement such a plan.

"We saw this video a few days ago, this video is absolutely fake and there is nothing true about this," he said.

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