Synthetic Media Check

Do not try to become a human fake detector. Inspect source, context and corroboration instead.

Visual artifacts are unreliable. Real media can look strange, and generated media can look perfect. Use this checklist when a clip, image, recording or document could move money, damage a reputation or trigger immediate action.

1. Stop the emotional clock

Notice the action the item is trying to produce: send money, share outrage, celebrate, panic, call a number or condemn a person. Urgency is not evidence.

2. Locate the earliest source

Find the original post, file or publisher. Screenshots and cropped reposts remove context. A caption added by the tenth account may have nothing to do with the original event.

3. Inspect date, place and sequence

Old media is frequently presented as new. Real footage from one location can be relabeled as another. Search for nearby landmarks, weather, clothing, language and preceding or following frames.

4. Seek independent confirmation

Look for another source with a different chain of access. Ten accounts repeating the same clip are one source, not ten.

5. Evaluate provenance

Check whether the publisher provides an original file, capture details, editing history or signed content credentials. Missing provenance does not prove fabrication, but strong provenance can increase confidence.

6. Verify identity through another channel

For urgent requests involving a known person, call a trusted number or use a separate established channel. Do not reply only through the channel that delivered the request.

7. Match effort to stakes

• Low stakes: label it uncertain and move on.
• Medium stakes: wait for credible confirmation.
• High stakes: contact the person or organization directly and preserve the original evidence.

Uncertainty is a valid conclusion. “I cannot verify this” is more useful than confident guessing.