Week 3: Verifying Sources and Content Found on Social Media

Principles of Verification

•Develop human sources — and talk to them

•Consult multiple, credible sources. “How do you know that?”

•Be skeptical: Is something too good to be true?

•Verify the source and the content.

•Assume images, video has been scraped/reposted.

•Communicate and collaborate

•Breaking news breeds chaos. Restraint is key

Verifying the source

Evaluate the Account & Person

• Is the account verified?

• On Twitter, check when account was created – Be suspicious of brand-new accounts

• Analyze their network – Friends, followers, conversations, retweets

– What do they usually tweet/post about?

– Where do they say they are?

– How does it compare?

• Evaluate posts before and after

Check Outside Social Media

•Google the handle/name with “spam, scam, spammer,” etc. to see if others have complained

Check Outside Social Media

•See if you can find other accounts online with the info you have.

•Search the username

•If you find a real name, use people search tools (who.is , Spokeo, White Pages, Pipl.com, WebMii) to find the person’s address, email and telephone number.

– Check other social networks, such as LinkedIn, to find out about the person’s professional background.

Contact, Check Other Sources

•DM them, get on the phone, Skype

•Get details and additional corroboration from people, images, etc.

•Are others reporting this incident or event?

•If so, what sourcing are they using?

Verifying the content

Verifying Photos & Video

•Review the uploader’s history/location – See if he/she has shared credible content in the past or

may be scraping from others

•Are there images before and after you can compare to?

•Get the uploader on the phone or Skype to talk about the image

•Beware of the amazing shot in a breaking news situation

Verifying Photos & Video

•Confirm the provenance: Using video and image search (YouTube, Google Images, TinEye etc.), see if any earlier pieces of content from the same event pre-date your example. (YouTube date stamps using PST.)

•Check exif info: regex.info/exif.cgi

•Reference locations against Google Maps, Wikimapia and existing images from the area.

Verifying Photos & Video

• Check

– Clothes, buildings, language, license plates, vehicles, etc.

– Do they support the image?

•Examine weather reports, shadows to confirm conditions shown fit date and time.

•Compare landmarks, buildings to Google Maps, satellite images.

The Debunker Toolkit

• Snopes.com

• Google Image Search/TinEye.com.

• Google Maps/WikiMapia.

• WolframAlpha

• Whois search

• EXIF reader

• Whendidyoujointwitter.com

• Archive.org/web/web.php

Remember

•Big news brings out the fakers — and confusion for all

•Check the source and the content

•Investigate the network, the history of a SM account

•Use human sources, always seek contact

•Use tools, but not only tools

•Don’t rush to be wrong. Value restraint