Google Hack: How to Spot Fake News and Scams with Reverse Image Search

Urian B., Tech Times 20 November 2020, 10:11 am

While fake news and scams are rampant these days, there's actually a Google hack that can help people identify which is fake and which is true. The known reverse image search is a way for users to be able to find out if a particular image is ripped off or even taken out of original context.

False information spotted!

According to an article by CNet, a particular meme that has been spreading across the internet just this week claims that a certain vendor sold certain negative flags at the recent Million MAGA March. This, however, is actually not true. The vendor was spotted over at a known Pennsylvania flea market back in September. The market organizers also reportedly told the man to put those flags away.

Certain memes like this can result in misleading and false information that could be digested differently. Usually, a particular photo that was intentionally for a different purpose would be given a different context to mislead viewers.

Google reverse image search

Luckily, there's a way for people to be able to protect themselves from false news. This can be done by locating the original source of the given image through a Google trick called the "reverse image search". The reverse image search is not only useful in detecting fake news but also scams on certain dating websites or even real estate websites.

The uses of this feature could help users find out if a certain person is a catfish or someone is trying to pretend to own or rent a property that they do not actually own. This can also be very useful in business when buying products online with images that actually come from other people.

How to use reverse image search

The popular Million MAGA March meme was actually debunked by Snopes which is a website that works by helping people identify if something is fake or not. However, with the vast amount of content in the internet, it cannot be called upon to clarify everything on Google.

There are a few different options that users can choose from in order for them to be able to use the reverse image search on Google. Before this, the user has to open up the Google Images in either Safari, Firefox, Chrome, or other web browsers.

1st option

Simply click on the image while holding it down then simply drag it towards Google Images search field located in another window.

2nd option

Take a full screenshot of the given image and proceed to drag that said file into the known search field. The file can also be uploaded through the Google Images search bar should this be easier.

3rd option

Simply right click the image then select the "open image in another window". After this, copy the URL then directly paste it onto the Google Images search portion.