Unfamiliar with a new source? If it’s on this list, then it’s most likely fake news.

These ones sound like a real newspaper, but they’re not!

• Thebostontribune.com
• thedcgazette.com
• Burrardstreetjournal.com
• Christiantimes.com
• Empireherald.com
• Civictribune.com
• Stgeorgegazette.com
• Ussanews.com

These ones sound like they could be a legitimate news site, but they’re not

• 70news.wordpress.com
• Abcnews.com.co
• Infowars.com (Remember Pizzagate?)
• Yournewswire.com
• Rilenews.com
• Worldnewsreport.com
• Empirenews.net
• Politicops.com
• Now8news.com
• Christiantimes.com
• Realnewsrightnow.com
• Nationalreport.net
• Ifyouonlynews.com
• React365.com (this site allows users to generate fake headlines)
• bizwiznews.com
• w24n.com
• Americanjournalreview.com
• Daily-vine.com
• NYeveningnews.com
• Truthfeednews.com

Sites that are satire, but not everyone can tell by just a headline

• Huzlers.com
• Theonion.com

More sources

• factcheck.org
• List of fake and parody news
• False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and/or Satirical “News” Sources
• Snopes’ Junk News Archive
  • This page goes through recent articles and decides if the story is real, fake or satire

Twitter:

Before drawing conclusions about accounts, it is crucial to verify them. When an account check has not been executed, it can have serious repercussions as seen in this CTV Edmonton report. The Canadian national broadcaster posted a tweet stating the a bot account had been promoting a political movement, which later proved to be a real account.

In order to see if an account is active, there are many things you can do to check. Accounts that don’t update frequently or have not paid to renew their domain are some easy indicators. However, it is always good to go in depth to see if a person is who they say they are or a valid info source.

You can use these simple tips to verify if an account is managed by a real or fake owner:

• Check bio – what are their credentials?
• Tweets & replies – read through the replies to see their biases
• Check if they share the same URLs/content
• Following/followers – Another great way to check bias, however a follow is not always an endorsement
• The original image/video and creator are most important to have – you won’t have to trace back if it’s the earliest version
• Run a search before sending to a newsrooms/outlet
• Compare metadata: what information is available about their account
• Ask a person to send the photo/video directly from their phone or camera through text or email, always use an encrypted app
• Think about the network 
  • Friends, followers, conversations, retweets, shares, likes
  • What their content is
• Check when the account was created 
• See if you can find other accounts 
• Reverse image their profile photo
  • see the video below for tips on how to do this

Photo and video manipulation is one of the most common spreads of mis and disinformation, here you will find some tips and techniques on how to uncover the full picture behind them.

You may hear the word investigate and think of leading a Sherlock Homes-esque examination. Have no fear – it’s simple, straight-forward and free most of the time!

Facebook

Facebook as one of the most widely used social media platforms, Facebook is an international arena for mis and disinformation spread. Though many users have good intentions, by simply pressing ‘share’ on Facebook, you can spread incorrect information to your friends, family, and even strangers.

A couple things to watch for on pages:

• When the page was created
• When the website domain page was created (check domainbigdata.com)
• Press on different users of the group 
  • Check group administrators’ profiles for suspicious activity
  • Reverse image search people’s profiles to see if they come up on other websites
  • Be careful when opening links from unfamiliar sites
• Cross-reference through other websites
  • Is this the only page reporting this?
• Check the profiles of the people who like or follow this page 
• Has the page liked by other pages/run by the same people?
• Check related pages and linked groups
• Read community reviews
• Page Transparency box for manager locations

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What to watch for on profiles:

• What groups they’re a part of
• Likes/comments
• What content they are sharing 
• Locations checked in/events
• Look for relatives/family members with same surname

These are some simple, easy-to-use ways of getting to know what website you’re browsing on is about and where it’s come from.

Websites are intended to be sources of ready available information for all on the Internet. However, they sometimes are not as straight-forward as one would like to think.

There are many tools that you can use to inquire behind the data and identity of a website from the domain name itself (e.g. gov.uk) , to its metadata (its personal information).

1. A very useful website is Wayback extension, which is an internet archive that finds earlier versions of website. You can add this as an extension to your Safari or Chrome browsers.

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As mentioned above, many registrars offer the ability to act as proxy contacts on the domain registration forms, a service known as “WHOIS privacy”. In such cases, domains registered with WHOIS privacy will not list the actual names, phone numbers, postal and email addresses of the true registrant and owner of the site, but rather the details of the proxy service. While this can frustrate some WHOIS queries, the lookup tool is nonetheless a powerful resource for investigating a domain.

Many websites registration systems offer to act as ‘proxy contacts’ which are known as “Whois privacy” which put simply = central database + IP data. By doing this, privacy hides the real names, number, addresses and the information of the owner of the website in exchange for a proxy service.

2. Lookup tool is a powerful way to investigative a domain name.

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3. Domainbigdata.com 

This website takes free WHOIS/domain name searches. The registrant can be under a fake name but often the email address is real. As the IP address is the server that hosts the domain, this tool check verify the IP’s reputation – seeing who is on the same address. In this, an open proxy acts as the “middle man”, which means it does not encrypt information between users. In using this tool, we can find links or connections between corrupt domains.

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4. DNSyltics is a pay-to-use service which connects websites together via Adsense, Google Analytics, etc. This service finds user analytics.

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5. SpyonWeb analyses the web identity. 

2020 has revealed that even trusted news sources are capable of spreading mis and disinformation. It is not obvious what the difference between the two is. Misinformation is what it sounds like and is unintentional, whereas disinformation is deliberately inaccurate information intended to deceive.

A global pandemic has triggered a massive spread of information on broadcast television and various digital and social platforms. According to the International Press Institute (IPI), Hungarian MP’s have passed a law that penalises the spread of misinformation of COVID-19 to up to five years in prison. IPI’s data shows that many central and eastern European governments have been using the health crisis as an excuse to tighten control over information, which is another issue. We are constantly receiving threads of messages from sources such as friends, family, co-workers and social media, which are now more widely used ways to get information.

Let’s not forget about a 26-minute video called Plandemic, that spread debunked theories and unproven claims about COVID-19 like wildfire around the internet. Large platforms like Facebook, Youtube and Vimeo had to remove it and now it can not be easily found and shared online. Thanks to the spread of this video, many people believe that the use of masks could cause a person to contract the virus.

It’s up to us as social media users to be skeptical about articles and videos from unfamiliar sources.

Here a few things Decoding Disinformation wishes to answer:

• Which information is coming from where?
• How can I find out if I’m being shared dis or misinformation/what is the difference?
• Where can I acquire my information?
• How can I do fact-checking myself?

Decoding disinformation is here to make your life as a receiver of information a little less challenging and overwhelming. By providing you with tools, resources and an online community, you will be a gatekeeper and fact-checker in no time.