Emotional headlines
Words like “shocking”, “urgent” and “you won't believe” are there to make you click before you think. The text under such a headline often tells a far more ordinary story.
Security
Security
False information is dangerous not only because it misleads. It is also used to lure people into clicking links, signing up and giving their trust. Knowing the typical tricks noticeably lowers your chances of being caught out.
The harder a message rushes you, the more reason you have not to rush.
How this section works: we describe risks for ordinary readers and general signs, without naming platforms or examining real cases.
Risks
The tricks you meet most often, all designed to catch you off guard.
Fake accounts
It is easy to create a page that looks like that of a well-known organisation or scientist. Check the address, creation date and post history, and whether the official website links to that page.
Fake screenshots
An image of a conversation or someone else's post is easy to put together in an editor. If the original cannot be found via a link, treat the picture as an unconfirmed retelling.
Voice fakes
AI can imitate a voice from short recordings. If a familiar voice in a message asks for something urgent and unusual, call the person back on a number you already know.
Why falsehoods spread fast
An amazing story makes you want to be the first to share it. Checking takes time, while forwarding takes a second, so invented stories often outrun the corrections.
On top of that, we are more willing to believe what fits our expectations. If you have long suspected that some household appliance is harmful, the advice “never switch it on at night” will seem convincing without any evidence.
The protection is simple and unexciting: a pause before forwarding, a search for the source and a willingness to say “I don't know”. It needs neither special software nor professional skills.
Read next
- If you slipped
What to do if you shared a mistake, a relative believes a chain message, or nobody in an argument can find where a story came from.
- Tools
Techniques to use when checking: reverse image search, date-limited search, web page archives, file properties, maps and street-level imagery.
- Comparisons
How an original source differs from a retelling and an opinion, and a photo from a drawing, a video still and an AI-generated picture.
- Glossary
A glossary of terms: original source, context, clickbait, deepfake, metadata, verification and other concepts in plain words.
- Questions
Answers about the guide, about checking photos and texts, and about talking to parents and children about rumours.
Sources
- Reference materials on media literacy and information checking (general principles)
- Editorial materials of the Vovkinsite guide
The method is described in general terms as of the preparation date. Search engines, archives and forgery techniques change over time, so treat this advice as a way of reasoning rather than a final verdict on any particular post.