Video verification combines the fundamentals of image verification with additional techniques for motion, audio, and synthetic media.
Step 1 — Find the source
Identify who first posted the video and where. Use keyframe screenshots with reverse image search to find earlier copies.
Step 2 — Break it into frames
Extract keyframes and verify them like images — reverse search, geolocate, and check context. Miscaptioned real footage is more common than deepfakes.
Step 3 — Assess for synthetic media
For suspected deepfakes, look for artifacts: lip-sync mismatches, unnatural blinking, inconsistent lighting or shadows, and audio that doesn't match the acoustic environment. Treat detector tools as one input among many.
Step 4 — Corroborate
Compare against other recordings of the same event, official statements, and reporting. Establish a timeline.
Step 5 — Preserve
Archive the video and its page. Save hashes where possible for chain-of-custody.
Common mistakes
- Judging authenticity from compression artifacts alone
- Ignoring the audio track
- Over-trusting a single AI detector