How to fact-check images online

Have you ever wondered how fact-checks are done? Do you think it is something you could do? The simple answer is Yes! You can.

Fact-Checking requires special skills. It involves a process. That is, it is systematic and you have to be deliberate in finding out the facts to confirm or debunk a claim. A claim can come in form of a video, text, images and so on.

False claims could be misinformation or disinformation deliberately orchestrated, composed to suit an agenda. It could be wrong attribution, wrong caption to a genuine photo or even outright fabrication.

However, for this section, we will look at claims that come in form of images. The images could be distorted to misrepresent an issue. It could as well be an old image shared to depict a new reality but from a different context.

Whichever form an image is presented on the internet you might be able to verify it with the aid of tools for image fact-checking such as are Google Reverse Image Search, Tin Eye, InVid, Yandex and so on.

This how to fact-check images  tutorial will look at:

1. Good reverse image search
2. TinEye

A)  Google Reverse Image Search 

1. Go to images.google.com on any browser of your choice.
2. For mobile request for a desktop view by clicking and selecting via the three dots.
3. From the displayed page, click on the image icon in the search box.
4. Select an option to paste the Url of the image you want to search or the option to upload the image.
5. On the drop down menu, paste web link to the photo source or upload the image from your device and lick the Search by Image button
6. The next web view will display your search result, revealing a variety of related images and websites it has appeared with dates.
7. You can streamline your searches  via variables like time, Date, size, visually similar etc.

Labnol/reverse

Another way to use Google Reverse Image Search  is through  labnol.org/reverse.

1. On any web browser of choice, visit www.labnol.org/reverse.
2. Scroll downward and click on the Upload Image button.
3. Select the image which must have been downloaded on your device or use the Take Photo option.
4. Click the Use or Open button.
5. Next, click the Show Matching Images button.
6. The next page shows you the similar pictures while a little scroll downward reveals where the pictures have previously appeared on the internet including the various sizes it was adjusted.

B)  Tin Eye 

The Tin Eye is another reliable image search tool. It can be handy for a Fact-Checker who is interested in verifying picture and possibly document sources. It provides the date a picture first appeared on the internet, the website where the image was used as well as the image dimensions and sizes.

An interesting quality of the tool is that it gives the user an option of comparing the uploaded picture with the newly searched image through its compare button.

The button becomes active once the mouse cursor is placed on the searched images.

The simple steps to use the Tin Eye technology are:

1. Visit web browser of choice
2. Type www.tineye.com in the browser
3. Provide the image Url or website link in the search button of the Reverse Image Search page
4. Click the search icon
5. On the contrary, if you have the image already saved on your device, select the upload button which is a Circled Up Arrow Symbol
6. Select the picture source in the dialogue box
7. Click the open button then the next page shows you the search result

Olugbenga ADANIKIN

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