Checking tools
Twelve free tools for checking a picture, a claim, an ad or a ballot. Each one comes with a try-it from a lesson, so you practice on something real.
Every tool opens its own site in a new tab. Nothing on this page is sent to them.
Check a picture or a video
Find where it came from and what it looked like first.
TinEye (Idée Inc.)
TinEye
What it’s for: Upload or paste an image to find where else it appears online and its earliest copy.
Try it
Search a viral picture, sort by oldest, and see whether it was online before “today.”
Lesson 20: Can the crew post this image as true?- Grades 6–8
- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
Google
Google Lens
What it’s for: Search with an image to find matching photos, pages and places.
Try it
Screenshot one frame of a forwarded clip and look for the full video it came from.
Lesson 1: Is the screening canceled?- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
InVID, WeVerify (AFP and partners)
InVID-WeVerify Verification Plugin
What it’s for: Free browser plugin that splits videos into keyframes for reverse search and reads image metadata.
Try it
Split a short clip into keyframes, then search each frame for the longer original.
Lesson 1: Is the screening canceled?- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
Content Authenticity Initiative
Content Credentials Verify
What it’s for: Check whether an image carries a record of how it was made and edited.
Try it
Check a picture for a record of how it was made. No record does not prove it is fake.
Lesson 20: Can the crew post this image as true?- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
Check a claim or a page
See what others found, and what a page said before it changed.
Internet Archive
Wayback Machine
What it’s for: See how a web page looked on an earlier date, even after it changed or disappeared.
Try it
Open an older copy of a news page that ran a correction and spot what changed.
Lesson 3: What should a group do after a public mistake?- Grades 6–8
- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
Google
Fact Check Explorer
What it’s for: Search a claim or image to find fact-checks already published about it.
Try it
Search a viral claim about a banned book and read what fact-checkers found.
Lesson 7: Did one complaint get the novel banned?- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
Follow the money
See who paid for an ad, and compare dollars fairly.
Meta
Meta Ad Library
What it’s for: Search the ads any page is running, including who paid for political ads.
Try it
Search a book publisher and see how its paid posts are labeled.
Lesson 8: Is it a recommendation or an ad?- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
Google
Google Ads Transparency Center
What it’s for: Look up the ads an advertiser runs on Google Search and YouTube.
Try it
Search a candidate or a ballot measure and find who paid for the ads.
Lesson 9: What is on your ballot, and where do you check?- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
CPI Inflation Calculator
What it’s for: Put dollar amounts from different years on the same scale.
Try it
Before you compare two budgets from different years, put both in the same year’s dollars.
Lesson 18: Why is the theater curtain still falling apart?- Grades 6–8
- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
Vote and speak up
Find your ballot, your deadline and where to comment.
U.S. General Services Administration
Vote.gov
What it’s for: Find how to register in your state and the deadline.
Try it
Pick a state and find its registration deadline for the November 3, 2026 election.
Lesson 9: What is on your ballot, and where do you check?- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia Sample Ballot Lookup
What it’s for: See every race and measure on the ballot for an address.
Try it
Enter your school’s address and count the races a feed might skip.
Lesson 9: What is on your ballot, and where do you check?- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
U.S. General Services Administration
Regulations.gov
What it’s for: Read proposed federal rules and submit a public comment.
Try it
Open a rule that takes comments and find one comment that asks for something in its first line.
Lesson 19: What should Gia say in her two-minute comment?- Grades 9–12
- Ages 16–24
Before you start
- Use a copy of the picture or clip. Leave out photos of people you know.
- Search your school’s address, not your home address.
- A result is one clue. Check it against a second source before you post.
- Tools can be wrong. A detector score or a missing record does not settle it.