Detect the Fake

A practical guide for journalists, professors, fact-checkers, and anyone who cares about the truth in text, images, video, and voice.

4 Free AI Detectors

One-click Gemini assistants powered by trained forensic methodology. No installation required.

The 5-Step Verification Protocol

Use the same backbone for any media type.

1

Lateral Reading

Do not analyse the file first. Does this content already exist somewhere? Run reverse image search for visuals, search distinctive phrases for text.

2

Provenance

Trace the content backward. When was it first published? By whom? What was the original context?

3

Technical Forensics

Apply medium-specific methodology. See the modality tabs below for what to look for.

4

Geospatial & Temporal Verification

Check shadow angles, architecture, language, weather, vehicles β€” do they match the claimed location and time?

5

Editorial Decision

Three levels: 🟒 GREEN (publish) β€’ 🟑 AMBER (investigate) β€’ πŸ”΄ RED (do not publish). When in doubt, choose AMBER.

Signals by Media Type

The key categories you must check for each medium.

8 Signals to Look for in Text

1

Vocabulary tells: delve, profound, tapestry, represents

2

Triplets (the strongest single signal)

3

Reversal structures: "not just X, it's Y"

4

Modular sentences: shuffle test passes

5

Missing hedging: zero "I think"

6

Sophistry: 50 words summarisable in 6

7

Structural defaults: 800-1000 words, em dashes

8

Tonal markers: no personal voice

8 Categories to Inspect in Images

1

Hands and anatomy: count fingers, check teeth, eyes

2

Lighting: single source, consistent shadows

3

Edges: hair-to-background transitions

4

Text: readable or distorted?

5

Skin texture: too smooth, too symmetric

6

Background: repeating patterns, ghostly figures

7

Context: physics, scale, cultural plausibility

8

Provenance markers: ✦ watermark, filename

10 Categories to Inspect in Video

1

Temporal consistency (MASTER KEY): static objects flickering

2

Faces and lip sync

3

Hands and anatomy in motion

4

Physics: gravity, inertia, cloth, fluids

5

Lighting across time

6

Background and scene stability

7

Audio-visual sync

8

Resolution and quality patterns

9

Multi-shot coherence

10

Provenance markers

8 Categories to Inspect in Voice

1

Breathing and biology (MASTER KEY): can you hear breaths

2

Pitch and prosody: too smooth?

3

Pauses and rhythm: any fillers?

4

Articulation precision: robotic?

5

Emotional authenticity

6

Drift over time

7

Background environment

8

Technical markers

⚠ The Liar's Dividend: No detection method is 100% reliable. A high score does not prove content is fake. Professional writers, non-native speakers, and academics also score high. Treat the score as a starting point, not as proof.

Professional Tools

Each tool has its own strength. Use multiple in combination.