India's Online Gaming Crackdown: Will It Work?

LEARN WITH BOOM

Ever received an email from a suspicious website asking for your personal information? Here are some quick ways to check if it’s a legitimate website. 

1. Search the domain: Enter email or website URL on BigDomainData.com.

2. Check the Whois history: If you notice the domain was registered just last week or recently, it’s a red flag, as most legitimate businesses don't have brand new domains. You see the registrant information is hidden, it’s common for scammers.

3. Check the associated domains: You see that the same registrant email is linked to several other domains with similar names, all registered recently. This is a strong indicator of a scammer's network.

4. Check the IP address: You can also do a reverse IP search on the IP address. This might reveal several other scam sites hosted on the same server, further raising doubt.

Tip: You can run similar searches on Whoisology.com and Whoxy.com.

DECODE

Deported From India, A Migrant’s Viral Video Became His Proof of Belonging

On July 24, an 85-second video appeared online showing a frail, young man in torn blue trousers and a faded red T-shirt. He was crying, his voice breaking as he said he had been thrown into Bangladesh by Indian police and the Border Security Force (BSF). 

From Rajasthan to Bangladesh: The man was 21-year-old Amir Sekh from Malda district of West Bengal. Days earlier, he had been a migrant worker at a construction site in Rajasthan. Now, he was across the border with no money, no phone, no papers, pleading for someone to bring him back.

In the video, Amir narrated how the police in Rajasthan held him as a suspected Bangladeshi, kept him locked up for two months, and then handed him over to the BSF, who pushed him into Bangladesh two days before the video was filmed. 

The viral factor: The video, shot on a phone in Bangladesh’s Satkhira district, was shared by social media users in Bengal. It went viral. Had it not, Amir might still have been languishing in a Bangladeshi jail. He had no documents and could not recall any family members’ phone numbers. 

“Nothing short of a miracle”: “It was nothing short of a miracle that the person shot the video and sent it to Bengal,” Amir later told Decode’s Snigdhendu Bhattacharya. “I would still be in Bangladesh otherwise.”

EXPLAINED

Will India Really Be Able To Take Away Money Gaming Platforms From Millions?

A sweeping ban: The Parliament has passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which outlaws all money-based gaming apps—whether based on skill, chance, or both—including facilitating, advertising or offering them. 

On paper, it is the government’s most sweeping strike yet against a looming industry that is expected to reach a $9-billion market by 2029. The law goes beyond targeting operators to include advertisers, promoters, and even financial intermediaries. 

Enforcement: The missing piece: But the real story lies elsewhere. India has banned betting apps before—and yet, Decode’s reporting has shown how they kept thriving through mirror sites, surrogate ads, influencers, and shadow payment networks. From Aviator’s deepfake celebrity endorsements, flourishing cricket betting apps during IPL season, to Mahadev app’s offshore empire, enforcement has always been the missing piece.

Questions: What is the government really banning? Who is criminalised or penalised under the bill? Hera Rizwan explains.

LAW, JUSTICE ET AL

Raanjhanaa Reimagined: How AI Is Changing Indian Films Script To Screen

• Raanjhana is perhaps the first known instance where an Indian film has been re-authored after its release signaling a new frontier in digital storytelling. 

• AI has already made deep inroads in the editing process of movies. 

• Even as the Indian film industry grapples with AI, it’s the actors who have been speaking out. 

• Artists in the film industry are contemplating legal protection of their work from AI interference. 

BOOM’s Ritika Jain spoke to several directors, actors, scriptwriters, and legal experts to understand how they see the use of AI unfolding.

'FAKE NEWS’ YOU ALMOST FELL FOR

🔍 Does this video show Rahul Gandhi’s recent rally in Bihar? Find out in 🔗 Anmol Alphonso’s ↗️ fact-check.

🔍 An old video showing a submerged Chennai International Airport was shared as recent visuals of Mumbai's international airport after torrential rains lashed the city this week. Read 🔗 Srijit Das’ ↗️  fact-check.

🔍 A photo claiming to show Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Gopal Italia with the man accused of attacking Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at her residence, is morphed and fake. 🔗 Srijit Das ↗️ debunked the claim.

🅱️ RECOMMENDS

This week's recommendation is: Dozens of TikTok accounts use AI avatars of real journalists to spread fake news

MESSAGE FROM 1440 MEDIA

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

Verified By Boom is written by Divya Chandra, edited by Adrija Bose and designed by H Shiva Roy Chowdhury.

If you have suggestions about this newsletter or want us to conduct workshops on specific topics, drop us a line at 👉 [email protected] and we will get back to you in a jiffy. Thanks for reading. See you next week.👋

—🖤 Liked what you read? Give us a shoutout! 📢

—Become A BOOM Member. Support Us!

—Stop.Verify.Share - Use Our Tipline: 7700906588

—Join Our Community of TruthSeekers