Tools for truth: Spotting fact and fake news on social media in poll season

Morphed images, mischievously edited videos, and false messages could be flooding your timeline this election season. Here is how you can be your own fact-checker on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp

A viral video on Twitter gave the impression that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was drunk. Kejriwal was sober — the video had been edited mischievously. A TV news channel showed satellite images to prove that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had demolished a terrorist group’s camp in Balakot, Pakistan. The images, picked up from Twitter, were old and unrelated to IAF’s operation. A 2017 image of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi was photo-shopped to show her wearing a Christian cross and it went viral on Twitter. 

Voters, beware! Social media is being used for spreading fake news and misinformation during