Information
How to verify suspicious information
Short answer
Verification takes three minutes and has four steps: find the original source, check the date, find independent confirmation and ask what is wanted from you. If a message demands that you forward it immediately or act at once, that is a sign of a campaign, not of news.
Why it matters
Disinformation is rarely completely false: usually it is a real fact torn out of its time and context. That is why arguing about content leads nowhere — only checking the origin works. The same skill protects against deepfakes: a forgery is exposed not by the picture but by the absence of any trace in official sources.
A real scenario
How it looks from the inside
In a family chat: a video where a well-known person talks about payouts and asks you to register via a link. The voice is similar, the picture convincing. Yet that person's official channel says nothing about any programme, and the domain in the link was registered a week ago.
Signs
- There is no link to an original source, or it is unavailable.
- A demand to forward or register urgently.
- Emotional wording instead of facts.
- The publication date is missing or does not match events.
- The message arrives at once from several “random” sources.
What to do
- Find the original source and open it directly.
- Check the date and place of the event.
- Find independent confirmation in at least one other source.
- Check the official channels of the person or organisation mentioned.
- Do not forward before you have checked: a repost is a signature.
Expert view
False information is dangerous not in itself but through the action it triggers. So the first question during verification is not “is this true” but “what do they want from me if I believe it”.
Frequently asked questions
How do I quickly check a video for deepfakes?
Rather than analysing the picture, look for the statement in official channels and independent sources.
What if I have already forwarded something unverified?
Write to the same people saying it was not confirmed. That restores trust better than silence.
Is it worth arguing in group chats?
Arguments rarely convince. What works is a calm link to the original source — and stopping there.