News Internet & Security Avoid Fake Images With Google’s New Fact-Check System Make sure that wild image is real before you share it with all your friends by Senior News Editor Rob LeFebvre has been a freelance technology writer for 10 years and an educator for 20. His articles have appeared in 148Apps, Cult of Mac, Engadget, and many others. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Rob LeFebvre Published June 22, 2020 03:58PM EDT Tweet Share Email Internet & Security Phones Internet & Security Computers Smart & Connected Life Home Theater Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming View More It’s harder and harder to spot a fake image these days; new fact-checking on Google Images can help us separate fact from fiction before we share it too widely. Google A picture is worth a thousand words; it’s been said often enough to the point of cliche. False information abounds on the internet, much of it in images. Google has added a fact-checking system to its image search, which could help us all know when an image is fake. (Try not to share false images on purpose, ok?) Behind the scenes: As Engadget notes, there are worries that the upcoming election will be manipulated with false imagery as well as fake news and social media posts. Google is now applying the same fact-checking technology it uses on YouTube, Search, and News (ClaimReview) for images. How it works: When searching for images on Google, you now may see a fact check badge under the thumbnail image results. Tapping the little label will show you a summary of the fact check of the web page the image is from. Just like fact checks on Search results, the fact-check won’t affect a web page’s ranking, so the relevant information underlying your image searches should still appear at the top of your results. Bottom line: Many images may seem obviously fake, but there are likely many more that aren’t as blatant. Having an independent check on the veracity of your images can only help slow the spread of misinformation across the internet. Learn More About Google Need to Search for an Image? Google Can Help How to Use Google Reverse Image Search Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit