Fake news debunker by InVID & WeVerify Extension for Chrome

In the digital age, misinformation spreads faster than ever, creating significant challenges for journalists, fact-checkers, and human rights defenders. The Fake News Debunker by InVID & WeVerify stands as a powerful ally in the battle against disinformation. This Google Chrome extension functions as a comprehensive verification “Swiss army knife,” enabling users to efficiently verify the authenticity of images, videos, and social media content. Here’s everything you need to know about this indispensable tool.

Fake News Debunker by InVID & WeVerify: A Vital Tool in the Fight Against Misinformation

Fake news debunker Extension, a Google Chrome extension available on the Web Store platform, boasts a multitude of features. Developed by CERTH-ITI, 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi Road, Thessaloniki 57001 Greece.  this add-on, currently at version 0.86 offers a versatile experience in English, with a modest size of 3.26MiB The latest update to its CRX file was rolled out on 26 June, 2025 Categorized under News & Weather. This plugin has been designed as a verification “Swiss army knife” helping journalists, fact-checkers, and human rights defenders to save time and be more efficient in their fact-checking and debunking tasks on social networks especially when verifying videos and images.

Its appeal is further heightened by its seamless integration with Chrome, presenting a user-friendly interface that garners widespread acclaim on the Google Web Store. The continual evolution of Fake News Debunker Extension stems from user reviews, guiding the developer’s efforts to refine and enhance both design and code, ensuring a top-notch experience. Remarkably, YFake news debunker is entirely free, embodying accessibility and innovation within the realm of browser extensions.

The Vital Role of Fake News Debunker in Today’s Information Landscape:

Designed for Professionals in Misinformation Detection

The Fake News Debunker is tailored for professionals who need to verify information quickly and accurately. Journalists, fact-checkers, and human rights defenders can leverage its suite of tools to debunk false claims circulating on social networks. The extension excels in analyzing multimedia content, particularly videos and images, to determine their authenticity. By saving time and streamlining workflows, it has become a go-to resource for combating fake news.

Award-Winning Technology with Global Recognition

Since its launch in 2017, the plugin has achieved significant milestones. In 2021, it won the first prize in the US Paris Tech Challenge awarded by the US Department of State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC). Furthermore, it has been recognized by the Poynter Institute—home of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN)—as “one of the most powerful tools for spotting misinformation online.” This endorsement underscores its effectiveness in addressing today’s misinformation crisis.

Key Features of Fake News Debunker by InVID & WeVerify

Comprehensive Verification Tools
The Fake News Debunker by InVID & WeVerify offers an extensive suite of verification tools designed to help users thoroughly analyze online content across major social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, and YouTube. These tools enable users to:

• Conduct reverse image searches across multiple search engines to trace the original source of an image.
• Break videos into keyframes for a detailed examination of specific moments, making it easier to detect manipulations.
• Access the Database of Known Fakes (DBKF) to check whether a piece of media has already been identified and debunked.
• Utilize advanced forensic analysis tools to detect inconsistencies or alterations in suspected manipulated images.

Advanced Social Media Analysis
For those analyzing content on Twitter (X), the extension’s Social Network Analysis (SNA) feature provides powerful investigative capabilities. Users can query data within specific time intervals to trace the origins of a piece of information and track how it spreads across networks. This functionality helps uncover patterns of dissemination, revealing how certain narratives gain traction online.

Forensic Enhancements
A standout forensic feature of the extension is CheckGIF, a specialized tool that allows users to create animated GIFs comparing suspected manipulated images with their original versions. This visual side-by-side comparison makes it easier to spot modifications, helping expose alterations and verify authenticity.

Beta Tools Powered by AI
The Fake News Debunker continues to innovate with AI-driven beta tools available to registered users. These include:

• A synthetic image detector developed under the Horizon EU vera.ai project to identify AI-generated visuals.
• An audio voice cloning detector from Loccus.ai, a Spanish startup specializing in advanced audio forensics, designed to spot synthetic voice manipulations and cloned speech.

Multilingual Support
To serve its global user base, the extension offers multilingual support with translations in English, French, Spanish, Greek, Arabic, Italian, and German. This ensures that users from different linguistic backgrounds can easily access and understand its verification features.

Media Literacy and Education
The extension also functions as an educational resource, offering demo and classroom sections that display real examples of manipulated media. These sections explain the detection process in detail and provide practical tips for verifying online content. By promoting media literacy, it empowers educators, students, and general users to think critically and recognize misinformation more effectively.

Privacy-Focused Design
User privacy is a core priority for the developers. The extension does not collect personal data and uses Matomo analytics solely to evaluate how the extension is being used. An opt-out option is available directly from the About page, giving users complete control over participation in usage tracking.

Feedback and Community Engagement
A built-in feedback button allows users to report bugs, suggest new features, or highlight verification issues directly from the extension interface. This open communication channel fosters active community engagement, helping refine the tool and maintain its effectiveness against evolving misinformation tactics.