Preserve context
Record URL, access date, full caption, stated creator, platform and least-transformed file available. Avoid spreading unnecessary personal detail.
GUIDE / PROTOCOL
Verify the context of a public image
An authentic image can still be attached to the wrong place, date or event.
Direct answer
What can a public image actually establish?
Preserve the image and publication in context, then look for earlier versions. Compare visual clues, caption, location and dates against independent sources. Metadata and provenance credentials offer clues, not automatic proof of the narrative.
01 / Review method
Review method
Find versions
Use reverse search and visual comparison to find earlier appearances, crops or frames from video.
Test place and time
Compare landmarks, relevant weather, shadows, signs and public archives. Separate depicted, publishing and claimed locations.
State the result
Distinguish file authenticity, provenance, context and caption truth. Present supporting evidence, conflicts and unknowns.
02 / Evidence to keep
Evidence to keep
Observed post
URL, dated capture, full caption and stated author or account.
Compared versions
Earlier files or URLs, crops, edits and earliest occurrence found.
Checked clues
Visual features, independent references, available metadata and confidence.
Limited conclusion
What is supported, contradicted or unresolved and the condition for revision.
PRACTICAL CHECK
Before reaching a conclusion
A frequent misreading and the check that helps avoid it.
Premature conclusion
A similar-looking setting is not enough to locate a scene: repeated buildings, seasonal changes and camera angles can mislead.
Decisive check
Match at least two stable landmarks to a dated geographic reference, then check perspective and chronology. Keep competing locations in the record if uncertainty remains.
AFTER THE REVIEW
Decide from the evidence
Reverse search finds an older version
Compare image, crop and captions; the older appearance challenges a recent-first-publication claim without dating the original capture by itself.
Provenance credentials validate but the caption is false
Separate file history from the editorial claim. Correct the caption using independent clues.
OSINT / Official references
When locating an image
Find an independent geographic landmark and dated acquisition before interpreting the scene.
cartes.gouv.fr
Why start hereCompare roads, buildings and terrain with a dated IGN layer.
Limit to rememberCheck each layer’s origin, scale and date before comparing places.
Read source entryCopernicus Browser
Why start hereCompare satellite acquisitions of the same location.
Limit to rememberCloud cover, resolution, processing and acquisition date constrain interpretation.
Read source entryNASA Worldview
Why start hereObserve a broad phenomenon across dates and layers.
Limit to rememberA coloured visual depends on its layer and is not itself a ground measurement.
Read source entry03 / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do metadata prove authenticity?
They can help reconstruct file history but need corroboration.
Does reverse search find the original?
Not always. It finds known occurrences, not necessarily the first publication.
Does one clue prove manipulation?
Avoid premature certainty; examine compression, cropping and routine processing.
Publish precise location?
Only when necessary, supported and proportionate to risks for people.
04 / Official references