<https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2021/11/01/a-beginners-guide-to-social-media-verification/>
At Bellingcat, we research and investigate misinformation and disinformation in their many forms. Even the most logical, intelligent thinkers can be convinced by claims that are entirely untrue. In the worst cases, the impact can be severe.
On the subreddit QAnoncasualties, for example, distraught users share stories about people close to them who have been taken in by the QAnon conspiracy theory. Yet it’s not just QAnon that has sent people down the internet rabbithole.
In recent months, mass protests have taken place across the world against vaccines and Covid-19 measures, often based around false and misleading claims espoused on social media. Incidences of mis- and disinformation, meanwhile, have targeted the likes of the Black Lives Matter movement, the rollout of 5G technology and even tragic events such as the Beirut Port explosion of 2020.
Bellingcat researchers are commonly approached by people who want to know whether a story they have read online is true. Learning the basics of verification can help answer a great deal of those questions.
Not only is verification a vital component of Belllingcat’s work, it also plays a key part in the workshops we run.
The following guide seeks to explain how we can be vigilant about the videos and photos we see online while identifying those that contain misleading, misattributed or false information.
Verification doesn’t need to be difficult. It also doesn’t require any complicated algorithms or access to advanced tools or programs that automatically detect whether an image may be fake or manipulated.
A critical mindset and a close look at the context of an image or post, allied with simple tools such as a Google search or reverse image platforms, are often all it takes to discover whether a piece of content is genuine.
As this guide looks at some of
the first steps for uncovering misinformation and
disinformation, it is not fully comprehensive. Other good guides
can be found here, here and here. A list
of further resources will be included at the bottom of this
article.
More seasoned open source
researchers may find advanced guides or articles more useful.
A selection of these can be found via the “Verification” tag on our website.
When looking at media shared online, it is helpful to be aware of some basic fact-checking principles to look for.
During most high profile news incidents, a number of photographs and videos will appear online. Amongst these are likely to be misleading, recycled images and sometimes even outright fakes. It is therefore important to ascertain the originality of the media shared. For example, has a picture been repurposed or used before? Reverse image search platforms, which we will discuss later, are extremely simple to use and can quickly help uncover previous uses of an image online.
2. Who is the source of the photo or video online?
Consider who the source of the photo or video is, what platform it was posted on and whether this may influence the veracity of the content. Was it posted on a site with poor moderation standards? Is the poster an anonymous individual or do they appear to be a real person? Have they posted about conspiracies previously? What do the responses to the post say and do they show a different side to the story?
3. Where was the photo or video taken?
This is an expansive topic and is an important component of the work we do at Bellingcat. But if it can be proven that an event took place at a location separate to that claimed in a video, there is a good chance we can verify the information it contains is false. A guide to geolocation can be found here.
4. When was the photo or video captured?
Once a location has been established, chronolocation helps us to determine the time an event happened. If it can be proven that a video or image was taken at a time long before or after that which is claimed in a post, there is a good chance we can verify its claims as false. A guide to chronolocation can be found here.
5. Why was it captured?
People post media online for all kinds of reasons. Some may be genuine but others may be doing so to further a political or personal viewpoint. It is important to understand the motivation behind posts. For example, if a post has been made by someone who has a history of posting about misinformation, conspiracies or from a heavily biased viewpoint, it is wise to exercise caution and carry out further checks as to the veracity of what they are posting.
Keeping these fundamentals in mind, let’s look at how to conduct some basic verification checks in practice.
[...]