Before you share a viral photo, check the picture and the caption
A striking picture can travel much faster than its explanation. Give the image and its caption a separate check.
Write down the claim you are checking
Does the post claim the photograph shows a particular place, person or event today? Keep that claim beside the original post link. Without it, an image score can distract from the question that made the photograph worth sharing.
A picture may be generated, edited, genuine or too limited to assess. Independently, its caption may be accurate, misleading or unverified. Treat image findings and caption evidence as separate parts of the report.
Find context without mistaking a match for an answer
Google Lens can return similar images and pages containing the image. Inspect the publication date and the words around each match. A copied caption does not become an independent confirmation merely because it appears on several sites.
Save the relevant public links in your own notes. If dates conflict or the earliest version you find is still a repost, leave the original source unresolved. The oldest result you happen to find is not necessarily the first publication.
Use the detector as a documented check
A standard DeepfakePolicy photo check costs 1 credit. Use the clearest available version that you may lawfully process. Read the findings and limitations together: compression, cropping and editing may reduce the useful information in a file.
For 3 additional credits, the source-research option adds public references, context checks and suggested follow-up steps to the completed report. This is an extension of the same check, not a guaranteed reverse-image search. The original source may remain unknown.
Share only what you can support
If you discuss the result, distinguish the detector's estimate from independently verified facts. Include the source links and any uncertainty that changes the meaning of your conclusion. Avoid presenting a high score as proof of fabrication or a low score as proof that an event happened.
The downloadable PDF follows your chosen site language while preserving scores and source URLs. Keep the private report for your own review, or describe the relevant findings carefully when explaining why a photo deserves further checking.
Frequently asked questions
Can an authentic photograph have a false caption?
Yes. Image analysis and verification of the claimed date, place and event answer different questions.
What if the detector is uncertain?
Keep the result uncertain and inspect independent sources. Repeatedly checking the same limited image does not create missing evidence.
Automated results require source and context review.
Continue with independent verification.
Check the viral photoPrimary reading
We use original standards, regulators, public institutions and research papers wherever possible. Sources were last checked on 11 September 2026.