BBN Investigates: the Pori Moni viral video search trend

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThis week, a string of search headlines promised a viral video of Bangladeshi actress Pori Moni, and I assume millions of people went looking for it.

2. 

   Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe question is simple and grave. Who made this clip, who posted it, and why are so many people still searching?

3. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentI have charts. I'll say now that they prove nothing, but they are very well labeled.

4. 

   Gloria Vance · World News AnchorExhibit one. Reports say an objectionable AI-generated video was published on the Instagram account of Maasranga Television.

5. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA television network posted it.

6. 

   Gloria Vance · World News AnchorReports also link the spread to a security breach involving that network's social media accounts. I want that underlined twice.

7. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentSo the first suspect has a newsroom, a logo, and a verified account.

8. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAn inside job. With excellent branding.

9. 

   Gloria Vance · World News AnchorNow the timeline. Pori Moni spoke on a Facebook Live session late on a Friday night, and she was angry.

10. 

    Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentShe said people had sent her the video over WhatsApp roughly one to one-and-a-half years earlier, according to cricket97.

11. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA year and a half ago.

12. 

    Gloria Vance · World News AnchorShe also questioned the responsibility of the outlet that published it, and criticised people who kept sharing or searching for it.

13. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWhich brings us to everyone watching at home.

14. 

    Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentMy chart shows searches going up. It also shows my coffee going down. Correlation is not my job tonight.

15. 

    Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThen the rabbit hole. Spam pages pair her name with a second actress, Mehazabien Chowdhury, on the same clip.

16. 

    Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentAnd this is the figure I'd circle in red. No source confirms either woman appears in the footage, says miscw.

17. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorNone?

18. 

    Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe names look like search tags, used to drive clicks to unverified pages. The cast list is a keyword list.

19. 

    Gloria Vance · World News AnchorSo the most searched video of the week may have no stars at all. I find that deeply troubling.

20. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorGloria, that's the most dramatic thing anyone's said about a spam page.

21. 

    Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThank you, Hank. And I've covered worse, which you know, because you were there.

22. 

    Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThere's one more exhibit. A thirty-second swimming pool video she posted on Facebook crossed about one point six million views within hours.

23. 

    Gloria Vance · World News AnchorA real video, posted by her, drew a crowd. Remember that, because it matters later.

24. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo who started this? Who benefits? How deep does it go?

25. 

    Gloria Vance · World News AnchorTonight, I bet we get an answer to the first one, and nobody at the network is going to like it.

26. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorOur first suspect has a newsroom, a logo, and a verified account. We'll be knocking on the front door.