EU funded InVID launches a fake video news debunker

Fake news has plagued the web — which is kind of our own fault — but thankfully techies haven’t given up on eradicating it. One of the latest technological attempts to fight misinformation is a new Google Chrome plugin created by EU-backed InVID.

The plugin, which has now launched in open beta, is meant to make it easier for journalists to verify and debunk videos. This tool will probably be a welcome addition for weary fact-checking journalists who have to sift through tons of information to find original context for videos and images.

Check this out! A plugin to debunk fake news and to verify videos & images
Beta version, by @InVID_EU https://t.co/cpyI0RpOoD#media pic.twitter.com/HMHTphhhrR

— media.eu (@MediaEu) July 7, 2017

With the new plugin journalists and truth-lovers can put in URL of a Youtube or Facebook video in the Analysis tab and the plugin provides general info about the clip— location, description, time, etc. — along with options for reverse image searches and Twitter video search.

The plugin also has more in-depth features for more detailed searches: Keyframe tab, Thumbnails tab, Search tab and Magnifier lens tab, Metadata tab, and finally the Forensic tab.

To see how this actually works, you can watch InVID’s official video (below) which is beautifully paired with Johann Strauss’ An der schönen blauen Donau — for those who enjoy a bit of Austrian classical music with their fact-checking tool videos.

As I mentioned above, the plugin is merely a beta-version at the moment, so it’s far from being perfect. However, the bugs are minor and dwarfed by the possible benefits and the time saved for journalists.

The new plugin is only one of the many aspects of the InVID project, which has received funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020. The project has already launched services to check credibility of videos and organizations as well as copyright tools. For those who’re interested in knowing more can check out InVID’s website here.