Investigating the Truth Behind Blurred Timestamp
Following the tragic train accident in Odisha on June 2, 2023, the administration and various task forces have been diligently working to assist the victims and restore normalcy. However, amidst this sensitive time, certain individuals continue to engage in petty politics and sensationalized journalism. One such instance occurred on June 4, 2023, when a propagandist journalist named Sakshi Joshi shared two similar pictures of Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Railway Minister, on her Twitter handle, along with a claim that the picture was taken the previous night at 7:57 pm.
According to Sakshi Joshi, several members of the so-called “ToolkitGang” and social media influencers initiated a campaign from 11 pm onward on June 3, 2023, in favor of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. However, as the truth about the picture began to emerge, it became apparent that there was manipulation involved. In subsequent tweets made the following morning i.e. June 4, 2023, the timestamp of 7:57 pm had been deliberately blurred, indicating an attempt to mislead the public.
So, is it true that the timestamp of 7:57 PM was deliberately blurred to mislead the public as claimed by Sakshi Joshi? Let’s Fact Check.
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In our thorough investigation, our initial step was to analyze the metadata of the first picture shared by Sakshi Joshi, which she claimed was taken and shared during the night of June 3, 2023. Metadata provides valuable information about a digital image, such as the file size, file type, MIME type, Image size etc.
Here is the metadata of the first picture that was shared by Sakshi Joshi which according to her was not blurred.
Next, we proceeded to examine the metadata of the second picture shared by Sakshi Joshi, which she asserted was shared on the morning of June 4, 2023, after blurring the timestamp of 7:57 PM.
Here is the metadata of the second picture of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw that was shared by Sakshi Joshi with a claim that the timestamp of 7:57 PM was blurred in this picture.
Upon closer examination, a notable disparity becomes evident when comparing the file size and image size of the two pictures shared by Sakshi Joshi. The first picture claimed to be from the night of June 3, 2023, stands out due to its higher image size of 1600 × 1200 pixels and a larger file size of 422 KB, suggesting a higher level of detail and resolution, potentially leading to clearer visuals. In contrast, the second picture, supposedly taken on the morning of June 4, 2023, displays a smaller image size of 998 × 749 pixels and a significantly reduced file size of 164 KB, indicating a potential loss of image quality and sharpness, resulting in a less clear representation.
But according to Sakshi Joshi, only the timestamp of 7:57 PM was deliberately blurred to mislead the public. However, we found another detail by comparing both the pictures which defies Sakshi Joshi’s claims.
Here is a zoom version of the first picture zooming on the two bottles present in the picture.
Now, here is a zoom version of the second picture zooming on the bottles present in the picture.
The difference in clarity between the two pictures becomes apparent once again when observing the visibility of water bottles. In the first picture, the water bottles are clearly discernible, whereas in the second picture, they appear less clear. This observation suggests that the reduced clarity of the second picture is not due to a deliberate blurring of the 7:57 PM timestamp, as claimed by Sakshi Joshi.
The reason for the diminished quality of the second picture lies in its lower overall quality compared to the first picture. Various services, such as Twitter, often apply aggressive levels of compression to reduce storage space and improve download times. However, this compression can have adverse effects on image quality and usability. As images are shared and downloaded repeatedly, their quality gradually deteriorates.
It is evident that the second picture was initially downloaded from the original source and subsequently uploaded or shared on Twitter, resulting in a loss of clarity. The continuous cycle of downloading, sharing, and re-uploading contributes to the degradation of image quality. Therefore, the reduced clarity and visibility of the water bottles in the second picture can be attributed to this process.
This insight reinforces the active understanding that the diminished quality of the second picture is a consequence of its repeated downloading and sharing, rather than a deliberate manipulation of the timestamp, as alleged by Sakshi Joshi. Understanding the technical factors influencing image quality aids in unraveling the truth behind the images, allowing for a more accurate assessment of the situation at hand.
Apart from this, according to Sakshi Joshi’s assertion, the timestamp remained clear and unaltered until the night of June 3, 2023. However, on the morning of June 4, 2023, the same individuals allegedly blurred the timestamp intentionally, with the aim of misleading the public. But this claim of Sakshi Joshi was also found to be false.
In an intriguing development, a Twitter handle named Pratik V shared the same picture of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at 11:57 PM on June 3, 2023. This timing is significant as it falls within the period when Sakshi Joshi claimed the timestamp of 7:57 PM was still clear in the picture. However, the actual results turned out to be quite the opposite of Sakshi Joshi’s claims.
Here is the Zoom version of the picture of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared by Pratik V.
Contrary to the assertions made by Sakshi Joshi, the shared picture by Pratik V, originating from the night of June 3, 2023, did not display a clear and unaltered timestamp of 7:57 PM.
Hence, all these evidences proves that the timestamp of 7:57 PM in the picture of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was not intentionally blurred on the morning of June 4, 2023, as claimed by Sakshi Joshi. On the contrary, it becomes apparent that the degradation of image quality in some of the tweets can be attributed to the continuous cycle of downloading, sharing, and re-uploading that occurs on social media platforms like Twitter.
| Claim | Timestamp of 7:57 PM was deliberately blurred from the picture of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to mislead the public. |
| Claimed by | Sakshi Joshi |
| Fact Check | False and Misleading |
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