Verify

Verify Before You Share

Two questions decide whether something deserves your share: what is it doing, and is it true. This page checks both. The scanner reads the first, the shape of the rhetoric; the evidence desk records the second, the facts under it.

Everyone has shared something false. The difference is what you do when you find out. You do not need to be an expert. You need to slow down for 60 seconds before you hit share.

Where to start

What are you looking at?

Choose the closest match. You will get a short route, a first move, and the instrument on this page that fits it.

60-second mode

Step 1 · The shape of the rhetoric

Pattern Scanner

Paste any text (a news article, a politician's statement, a pastor's sermon, a corporate email) and the scanner detects manipulation patterns in the rhetoric. It marks every matching phrase where it sits, names the shape the patterns add up to, and shows who tends to gain from that shape. It does not determine truth; step 2 below is for that.

Pasted text is analyzed in your browser. A public URL is retrieved once to load its visible text, then it is not stored.

Specimen intakechoose a source

1. Paste text

Private by default. Your pasted text stays in this browser and is never uploaded.

2. Fetch a public page

For readable public articles only. Subscriber-only? Paste the excerpt you can access. The scanner does not bypass paywalls.

Public URLs are retrieved once and are not stored. Pasted text remains private in your browser.

Load an exampleComposites written for this page. Not quotations.

0 chars0 words

Paste at least 20 characters to begin.

Ctrl + Enter

How the scanner works

The scanner holds 22 detection rules, each keyed to a named entry in The Deceit Lexicon. A rule is a set of verbal tells: exact phrases, grammatical shapes such as a passive sentence with no actor, and framing moves such as a deadline asserted without evidence.

When a rule fires, the scanner marks the phrase in the specimen, scores how much matching language it found, weighs which narrative shape the firing rules add up to, and infers who tends to gain when that shape is used. Every finding carries the lexicon's own note on when the same words are innocent.

The analysis runs entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Pasted text is never sent to a server. If you ask to load a public URL, the service retrieves that visible text once and does not store it. The scanner runs the same rule set the editorial desk uses, made available as a public tool.

The scanner detects patterns, not truth. A true claim inside a manipulative frame is still manipulation. A false claim without pattern signals is not what this tool catches. Use the scanner for what it is: a lens for the shape of rhetoric, not a verdict on the facts. The verdict work is the evidence desk's, one step down.

Step 2 · Evidence desk

Build a checkable record

The scanner above reads the rhetoric; this desk records the facts. Bring the claim, link, or media into one place. The worksheet does not decide what is true; it gives you a repeatable trail for finding the original, comparing evidence, and recording what remains unknown.

Private by default

Exact wording matters. Keep the original spelling and punctuation when you can.

The file stays in this browser. Only its name, size, type, and a local SHA-256 fingerprint are added to your worksheet.

Choose the most honest label today. You can change it when evidence changes.

This describes the basis of your check. It is not a vote on what other people should believe.

Step 3 · Your call

Do these before you share

0 of 5

A pause is a successful result. You do not need certainty to delay sharing.

Practice room

Learn the move before you need it

Choose a scenario

Your move

Pick a case to begin

The best verification move is usually smaller than the story. Start with the source, date, or pressure point directly in front of you.

Evidence quality

Climb the source ladder

Strongest

Primary record

The full speech, filing, dataset, recording, study, or direct statement. Start here when it exists.

Useful

Independent reporting

Look for outlets that name their sources, show their work, and do not all cite the same originating post.

Lead only

Screenshot or chatbot

These can point you toward a claim, but neither proves it. Use them to find the record, not replace it.

The 60-second check

1

Check the date

Is the photo or video from the event it claims to show, or from a different event years ago? Reverse image search will tell you.

2

Check the source

Who posted it first? Is the account verified? Does it have a history of reliable posting, or does it regularly post sensational content for engagement?

3

Check for AI tells

Look for watermarks (Sora, OpenAI, Google), blurred boundaries between similar-colored objects, missing ears or fingers, and lack of shockwaves in explosion videos.

4

Check the fact-checkers

Search Snopes, Reuters, AP, Lead Stories, or Africa Check. If a claim is viral, a fact-checker has probably already looked at it.

5

Check your emotions

If the post makes you angry, scared, or righteous, that is the design. Strong emotion is the signal to slow down, not speed up. The most viral content is the most emotionally optimized content, not the most accurate.

6

Wait before sharing

If you are not sure, do not share. The cost of waiting 10 minutes is zero. The cost of spreading misinformation is your credibility and other people's trust in you.

Red flags, do not share if you see these

Fact-checking tools

Google Fact Check Explorer

Searches every fact-checker's published review of a claim at once — Snopes, Reuters, AP, PolitiFact and more, in one search.

HOW: Paste the claim or a few keywords. If a fact-checker has already reviewed it, their verdict appears here first.

Open Google Fact Check Explorer ↗

Wayback Machine

The Internet Archive's snapshot history of web pages. Check what a page said before it was edited, or whether it existed at all.

HOW: Paste the URL. The calendar shows every captured copy, oldest first.

Open Wayback Machine ↗

Google Reverse Image Search

Upload or paste an image URL to find where it appeared before. If a "breaking" photo has been online for years, it is recycled.

HOW: Right-click any image → "Search image with Google." Or upload directly at images.google.com.

Open Google Reverse Image Search ↗

TinEye

Reverse image search that finds the earliest known appearance of an image. Useful for detecting recycled or AI-generated images.

HOW: Upload an image or paste a URL. TinEye shows the first date it appeared online.

Open TinEye ↗

InVID Verification Plugin

Browser extension for video verification. Extracts keyframes, checks metadata, and helps identify recycled or manipulated video.

HOW: Install the Chrome/Firefox extension. Right-click any video to analyze keyframes and metadata.

Open InVID Verification Plugin ↗

Snopes

One of the oldest fact-checking sites. Good for viral claims, political statements, and urban legends.

HOW: Search the claim or paste the URL of the post you want to check.

Open Snopes ↗

Reuters Fact Check

Reuters' dedicated fact-checking team. Strong on international claims, war footage, and AI-generated content.

HOW: Search or browse recent fact-checks. Reuters is particularly good at identifying AI-generated war footage.

Open Reuters Fact Check ↗

AP Fact Check

Associated Press fact-checking. Covers political claims, viral posts, and international misinformation.

HOW: Search or browse. AP is particularly strong on political claims and historical accuracy.

Open AP Fact Check ↗

Full Fact (UK)

UK-based independent fact-checking organization. Good for British politics, health claims, and migration statistics.

HOW: Search the claim. Full Fact is transparent about sources and methodology.

Open Full Fact (UK) ↗

Africa Check

Africa's largest independent fact-checking organization. Covers health, politics, and religious claims across the continent.

HOW: Search or browse by country. Essential for claims about African politics, pastors, and health.

Open Africa Check ↗

Lead Stories

US-based fact-checker. Particularly good at identifying AI-generated content and deepfakes.

HOW: Search the claim. Lead Stories often uses AI detection tools like Hive Moderation to verify images and video.

Open Lead Stories ↗

PolitiFact

US political fact-checker with a "Truth-O-Meter" rating system. Covers statements by politicians and political influencers.

HOW: Search the politician or claim. PolitiFact rates claims from True to Pants on Fire.

Open PolitiFact ↗

How to spot AI-generated content

Images: Look for blurred boundaries between similar-colored objects, unnatural pixel bleeding, extra or missing fingers, inconsistent lighting, and watermarks in corners. OpenAI images may carry a SynthID watermark detectable by Google\'s SynthID tool.

Video: Look for missing shockwaves in explosions, unnatural movements, poor lip-syncing, repetitive sequences, and audio that does not match the visual context. Check for "Made with AI" labels on platforms that support them.

Audio: AI voice cloning can replicate public figures\' voices from seconds of sample audio. If an audio clip of a politician sounds too perfect, too convenient, or too incriminating, treat it as suspect until verified.

Text: AI chatbots (Grok, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) can produce confident, well-sourced-sounding answers that are completely wrong. Do not use an AI chatbot as your primary fact-checker. Use human fact-checkers instead.

If you already shared misinformation

1. Correct it. Post a correction with the fact-check link. Do not delete the original post silently, people who saw it deserve to know it was wrong.

2. Delete it if needed. If the post is harmful and a correction will not reach the same audience, delete it. But try to correct first.

3. Learn from it. Ask yourself which of the 6 steps you skipped. Next time, do that step first.

4. Do not beat yourself up. Everyone shares misinformation. The platforms are designed to make it easy. The correction is what matters.

Repair without theater

A correction you can copy

I shared this before checking it. I have now found better information here: [link]. The earlier post was [wrong / missing context / unverified]. I am correcting it rather than leaving the mistake in place.

Back to help →Recognize deception →Recovery resources →