Deepfake Verification Checklist
A step-by-step verification checklist for suspicious video, audio and images, designed to reduce reliance on visual guessing or a single detector score.
Preserve the evidence
- Save the original URL and publication context.
- Keep the original file where law and policy allow.
- Note when and where the item was first encountered.
Check provenance
- Find the earliest credible source rather than the loudest repost.
- Look for trustworthy provenance metadata or platform disclosure.
- Compare with official channels for the person or organisation depicted.
Corroborate independently
- Use reverse image or frame search where useful.
- Look for independent reporting of the same event or claim.
- Treat automated detector scores as supporting evidence, not a final verdict.
Escalate high-stakes cases
- Pause payments, publication or disciplinary action while verification is unresolved.
- Use specialist forensic support when consequences are serious.
- Document what was checked and what remains uncertain.
Evidence behind this checklist
- Ofcom · A deep dive into deepfakes that demean, defraud and disinform · 2024-07-23 · Primary source
- Ofcom · Deepfake Defences 2 - The Attribution Toolkit · 2025-07-11 · Primary source
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology · Deepfake detection technology · 2026-03-26 · Primary source