Every
few months, social media locks onto the same bait. A “7-minute video.” A “19-minute clip.” A celebrity name. Telegram links. X (formerly Twitter) trends. This time, it’s Arohi Mim.Across platforms, posts claim a private video of the Bangladeshi actress and digital creator has been “leaked.” The timings change - 3 minutes, 7 minutes, 11 seconds - but what does not change is the fact that there is no verified evidence that such a video exists. Yet the rumour spreads faster than any fact-check.Also Read - 19-Minute Viral Video Explained: What’s the Controversy and Why Sharing It Could Land You in TroubleThis is not a leak story.It’s a digital privacy crisis we keep mislabelling as gossip, controversy, vitality, and ‘harmful’ fun.
Who Is Arohi Mim — And Why This Pattern Keeps Repeating
Arohi Mim, born Mim Sultana, grew up in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area, studied at a decent girls college and chose to enter social media young — first through short-video platforms like TikTok and Likee, later building a large Instagram following of over 1.2 million. This fame did pay her - positively and negatively as well.This isn’t unique to her. It follows a script the internet has perfected.
We’ve Seen This Before — And It Was False Then Too
In November 2023, a
deepfake video falsely attributed to Rashmika Mandanna went viral in India. People insanely shared the clip which had no links to person-in-question. A few days later, after the actress was subjected to massive trolling and similar amount of sympathy, it was reported that the clip featured a different person entirely, digitally altered to resemble the actor. A similar AI-generated pornographic video falsely linked to Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt also created a buzz on social media only to be reported fake. Again, no ‘leak’ — just deepfake.Across the border,
Dawn.com has repeatedly debunked so-called “leaked videos” attributed to Pakistani actors, including viral rumours around Hania Aamir, where circulating clips were proven to be unrelated or edited content falsely linked to her name for clicks.The pattern is clear:
Specific duration + celebrity name + platform virality = instant belief for social media and millions of views for the culprit.
Why We Keep Missing the Point
Instead of asking “Is this video real?”, the more important question is:Why is someone’s alleged private content treated as public entertainment at all?Even in cases where intimate material does exist — stolen phones, hacked accounts, coercion — the violation lies not in what was recorded, but in the act of sharing. That distinction is often lost online.As The Guardian very well noted, while reporting on celebrity privacy breaches, modern virality thrives on plausibility, not proof. The rumour only has to sound believable long enough to travel.
This Could Have Been Avoided — But It Wasn’t
These cycles continue because of three consistent failures:
1. Platform DelayFalse sexual rumours often stay online for hours — sometimes days — before moderation kicks in. By then, screenshots have already migrated to encrypted platforms.
2. Weak DeterrenceWhile there are laws in some country but enforcement is slow. Victims are forced into damage control rather than protection.
3. Everyday ParticipationMost virality isn’t driven by malice — it’s driven by curiosity. As Scroll.in observed while analysing misinformation cycles, rumours survive because ordinary users keep “just checking” and “just forwarding.”
Beyond Arohi Mim
Before this, it was a “19-minute clip” involving another celebrity who had no link to the same. Before that, someone else. Each time, the internet promises to be shocked. Each time, it repeats the same behaviour.What changes is not ethics — only the name trending.
The Human Cost We Ignore
Strip away the rumours and hashtags, and there’s a person at the centre of this storm. A young woman, even men whose name is now tied — permanently — to a search query she/he had nothing to do with.Undo is almost impossible in the world of social media.
Where the Line Should Be
Privacy does not end at popularity.Consent does not vanish with followers.And rumours do not become truth through repetition.The next time a “7-minute” or “19-minute” video trends, the responsible reaction isn’t to search harder — it’s to stop.Because the real scandal isn’t what people claim exists.It’s how casually we participate in erasing someone’s dignity without proof.
What Is Deepfake And How To Spot It?
A deepfake is a manipulated video or audio clip created using artificial intelligence, where someone’s face, expressions or voice are altered to appear real. It relies on advanced deep-learning techniques to modify existing content and, when misused, can easily spread misinformation or cause serious harm.Spotting a deepfake is not as difficult as it may seem if you pay close attention. Before sharing any such clip, pause and ask yourself whether it truly seems believable. Check if credible news outlets are reporting the same video. Look closely for visual or audio inconsistencies such as blurred edges, unnatural facial movements, oddly shaped fingers, or accessories like earrings that don’t match. Lip movement is another key giveaway - if the lips don’t sync properly with the voice, chances are the video isn’t real.
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