How can you identify deepfake videos and manipulated images online?

You can tell if a video or picture is fake by looking for clues that something doesn’t quite match up.

Imagine you're playing hide-and-seek, and your friend tries to sneak behind a tree, but their face flickers in and out like a broken flashlight. That’s what happens with deepfake videos and manipulated images: the person on screen might look real, but parts of them act strangely or don’t match up.

If someone blinks too fast or smiles in a way that doesn’t make sense, like their lips move but their eyes stay still, it’s a sign something is manipulated. It's like when you're drawing a face, and you forget to connect the mouth to the eyes.

Sometimes, if someone is on screen, but the background doesn’t match what they’re saying or doing, like they’re talking about being in a park, but their background is a bedroom, that’s a clue something is faked. It's like when you wear a costume to school, but your backpack still says "Library" on it.

You can also use tools online or even just zoom in closely on the video or picture. If parts of the face look too perfect, like they're painted on, that’s another hint something is manipulated.