Bellingcat online toolkit11/20/2023 Once a location has been established, chronolocation helps us to determine the time an event happened. A guide to geolocation can be found here. ![]() 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. This is an expansive topic and is an important component of the work we do at Bellingcat. 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? Who is the source of the photo or video online?Ĭonsider 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. 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.Ģ. It is therefore important to ascertain the originality of the media shared. Amongst these are likely to be misleading, recycled images and sometimes even outright fakes. When looking at media shared online, it is helpful to be aware of some basic fact-checking principles to look for.ĭuring most high profile news incidents, a number of photographs and videos will appear online. More seasoned open source researchers may find advanced guides or articles more useful.Ī selection of these can be found via the “ Verification ” tag on our website. A list of further resources will be included at the bottom of this article. Other good guides can be found here, here and here. 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.Ī 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.Īs this guide looks at some of the first steps for uncovering misinformation and disinformation, it is not fully comprehensive. Verification doesn’t need to be difficult. 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. Not only is verification a vital component of Bellingcat’s work, it also plays a key part in the workshops we run. Learning the basics of verification can help answer a great deal of those questions. ![]() ![]() “What Advice Can You Give?”īellingcat researchers are commonly approached by people who want to know whether a story they have read online is true. 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. 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. Yet it’s not just QAnon that has sent people down the internet rabbithole. 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. In the worst cases, the impact can be severe. Even the most logical, intelligent thinkers can be convinced by claims that are entirely untrue. ![]() How can we tell whether the posts, articles and claims we see on the internet and social media sites are true? Online conspiracies and deliberately misleading, partisan content are serious issues, after all.Īt Bellingcat, we research and investigate misinformation and disinformation in their many forms.
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