When to use it
A post is spreading quickly. You want to separate screenshot, first source, reuse, and missing evidence.
Back to workflows
Claim workflow
Verify a social media claim.
A workflow for checking first-source traces, date, context, and possible reuse.
Passive and safe research workflow
What you get
Claim summary, timeline, sources, confidence level, and limits.
Safety boundary
This workflow is not for exploitation, probing, or unauthorized scanning. It reads public records, records dates and uncertainty, and avoids turning signals into final claims.
Simple order
Work through the steps in order.
Reduce the claim
Write what the post claims in one neutral sentence.
Check: Opinion and claim are separate.
Find first-source candidates
Search exact text, image frames, names, and quoted phrases.
Check: The earliest visible copy is recorded with date.
Check account context
Review public profile context and external support without private intrusion.
Check: Private-life details are not carried into the report.
Write the result
Use verified, likely, possible, unverified, or false.
Check: Counter-evidence and uncertainty are included.
Real tools to open
Report language
The claim should be reported with source chain, date context, confidence, and a clear note on what remains unverified.
Move to evidence notesSources
Start with these sources.
Bellingcat Online Investigation Toolkit
Verification and fact-checking
Use to separate claim, source, evidence, and interpretation.
Open sourceBuiltWith
Web history and archives
Use to compare old pages, deleted claims, and archived versions.
Open sourceCommon Crawl
Web history and archives
Use to compare old pages, deleted claims, and archived versions.
Open sourceGoogle Fact Check Explorer
Verification and fact-checking
Use to separate claim, source, evidence, and interpretation.
Open sourceInternational Fact-Checking Network
Verification and fact-checking
Use to separate claim, source, evidence, and interpretation.
Open sourceInternet Archive / Wayback Machine
Web history and archives
Use to compare old pages, deleted claims, and archived versions.
Open source