Verify a video
Trace a video to its first upload and check it shows what is claimed.
- Starts with
- Video
- Useful for
- Viral clips, footage of events, videos shared as evidence.
- Time
- 30 minutes to several hours
- Progress
- 0 of 5 steps ·
Type a value into any step and every step of the same type fills in, with direct search links. Values stay in this tab and are not saved; only which steps you ticked is remembered, in your browser.
1. Save it first
Why: Videos get deleted, especially misleading ones. Keep a copy and its metadata before anything else.
Do: Download the video with its metadata, and archive the page it was posted on.
Look for:- Upload date, uploader and description in the saved metadata
2. Read the upload details
Why: The exact upload time and channel history show whether this is the original or a re-upload.
Do: Pull the full metadata for the video and its channel.
Look for:- Exact upload timestamp
- A channel created recently or that mostly re-uploads others' footage
- A location tag
3. Find earlier copies
Why: Keyframes run through reverse image search often find the original, older footage.
Do: Split the video into keyframes, then reverse-search the clearest ones.
Look for:- The same footage from an earlier date or another event
- A longer original the clip was cut from
4. Check deleted and archived versions
Why: A video removed from YouTube may survive in archives, with its original title and date.
Do: Search the video ID in archive tools, and search the subtitles for key phrases.
Look for:- An original title or description that tells a different story
5. Confirm where and when
Why: As with photos, matching the scene and the conditions confirms or disproves the claim.
Do: Geolocate distinctive features, then check weather and shadows for the claimed date. Look for other videos filmed nearby at the same time.
Look for:- Other footage of the same event from different angles
- Weather and light that match the claimed date