Free mini-course: five short steps in your browser
Verify a viral video in 5 stepsclaim, earliest upload, context, labels and reports, and a dated record
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. A five-step routine for checking a clip before you share it. Progress stays in this browser.
No checker on this page can reliably identify synthetic media. A TimeBind does not identify synthetic media or verify a clip. The steps are a routine, not a verdict on any one video.
Start the five steps
Each step is short and ends with one or two checks. Your progress is saved in this browser only. Nothing you choose is sent to TimeBinder.
Your progress is saved in this browser only. Choices stay on this device and are not sent to TimeBinder or tied to your name.
Step 1 of 5. 0 of 5 complete.
Step 1. Name the claim, the source and the context
Viral clips usually arrive as a short cut-down with a confident caption. Before checking, write one line: who is shown, where, and when, according to the post. Then keep two questions apart: who posted it first (the source), and what the clip leaves out (the context). You do not need to decide whether it is “AI” yet. Often the clip is real and the claim attached to it is wrong.
Check 1. Match each part to what it means
Tap a part, then tap the meaning that fits it best.
Check 2. A shocking clip lands in your feed
What is the best first move?
Step 2. Look for the earliest upload
Take three to five still frames from different moments in the clip, including any with a landmark, sign or logo, and run an image search on each. Search distinctive words from the caption or on-screen text. On the platform, sort results by oldest first, and look at the uploader’s earlier posts. The aim is the earliest copy you can find. The most viewed copy and the account that forwarded it to you are not reliable guides to the original, and a search that finds nothing does not settle anything.
Check 1. How do you look for the earliest copy?
Check 2. Your search finds no earlier copy
What can you conclude?
Step 3. Check the context: place, date and older uses
Ask whether what you can see fits the claim. Do the signs, language, weather, vehicles and buildings fit the claimed place and date? Has the same footage been attached to an older event or a different country? If an outlet, official or person is named in the caption, check their own channel to see whether they published or said it. This often turns up real footage in the wrong context, which is a different finding from a synthetic clip.
Check 1. Which of these are useful context checks?
Tick all that apply.
Check 2. The footage turns out to be older than the claimed event
What is the honest finding?
Step 4. Look for labels and independent reports
Check whether the platform shows a label, and whether the file carries Content Credentials (C2PA) data. Treat those as clues: they record what a system or tool recorded, if it is still there, and they are easy to lose. Then look for independent reports from outlets or people who were there, and for the original uploader’s own account of the clip. A confident score from an online checker is not verification. No checker on this site can reliably identify synthetic media.
Check 1. Which source of evidence carries the most weight?
Check 2. What can a label show?
Step 5. Decide honestly, and keep a dated record
You may end up with “real footage, wrong context”, “earliest source found, claim unconfirmed”, or “still unsettled”. All of those are honest outcomes. Say which one you reached, link the earliest source you found, and keep your notes. If you are allowed to save the clip and you may need to stand behind what you saw later, keep the exact file you saved and make a TimeBind of it. A TimeBind records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time, and that a later copy still matches its SHA-256 fingerprint, anchored to Bitcoin. It does not show who made the clip, that it is true, or whether it is synthetic. First Pooled TimeBind is free, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
Check 1. What can a TimeBind show?
Check 2. You could not settle it. What now?
You have finished all five steps
Progress stays in this browser. You can revisit any step above. If you save a clip you may need later, date the exact file you saved.
How do you verify a viral video? The short answer
Work through five steps: write down what the clip claims; look for the earliest upload (search several still frames and caption words, and sort by oldest); check whether place, date and older uses fit; weigh labels and independent reports; then say honestly what you found and what is still open.
None of this identifies whether a clip is synthetic, and a missing result is not proof. A TimeBind of the exact file you saved can show that it existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show that the clip is true, or who made it.
Why this course, in November 2026
Search suggestions checked on 12 November 2026 return full sets for “how to verify a video”, “is this video real or ai”, “how to tell if a video is ai generated”, “reverse video search”, “how to find original source of a video” and “how to fact check a video”, with platform-specific variants for TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook and X. X’s recent-post counts for the week to 12 November show 4,647 English-language posts asking or discussing whether a video is AI or real (569 to 821 a day from 6 to 11 November), and 493 posts about original sources, reverse search or out-of-context footage.
On YouTube, in-window uploads (13 October to 12 November 2026) specifically about verifying viral videos were few and small in the first 20 results we pulled, so most of the how-to supply is about still images. That is a gap this course tries to fill. These counts measure interest, not accuracy, and none of them says that a clip can be settled by eye.
This is the second course in the series. The first, Spot AI fakes in 5 short lessons, covers labels, reverse image search, voice-clone scams, video tells and dated originals. This one is a workflow for a single clip. A third course, Check a suspicious voice message in 5 steps, covers voice messages and calls, and a fourth, Verify a screenshot or fake document in 5 steps, covers screenshots and documents. A fifth course, Verify an AI-generated photo of an event in 5 steps, covers photos of events. A sixth course, Verify a viral news clip in 5 steps, covers news-style clips. A seventh course, Verify a leaked-looking chat or email screenshot in 5 steps, covers leaked-looking chat and email screenshots. An eighth course, Verify a fake product review or testimonial in 5 steps, covers product reviews and testimonials. A ninth course, Verify an AI-generated receipt or invoice in 5 steps, covers AI-generated receipts and invoices, and a tenth, Check a suspicious profile photo or dating profile in 5 steps, covers suspicious profile photos and dating profiles. An eleventh course, Verify an AI-edited rental or property listing photo in 5 steps, covers rental and property listing photos, and a twelfth, Check a suspicious celebrity or expert video ad in 5 steps, covers celebrity and expert video ads. A thirteenth course, Check a photo, video or audio file offered as evidence in 5 steps, covers photo, video or audio files offered as evidence, and a fourteenth, Check a suspicious video call or remote job interview in 5 steps, covers suspicious video calls and remote job interviews. A fifteenth, Check a suspicious website or login page in 5 steps, covers suspicious websites and login pages, and a sixteenth, Check a map or satellite image that may be AI-made or edited in 5 steps, covers maps and satellite images that may be AI-made or edited. All sixteen sit under the public guide to protecting yourself from AI forgeries.
What each step can show, and what it cannot
The honest job of this routine is to slow a snap judgement and leave you with notes you can show. See also synthetic media and existed no later than in the glossary.
| Step | What it can show | What it cannot show |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Claim, source, context | What the post says, who posted it first, and what was cut out. | Whether the claim is true. |
| 2. Earliest upload | Earlier or matching copies of the clip, and an upload history, when the search finds them. | That a miss means the clip is new, unique or genuine. Indexes are incomplete. |
| 3. Place, date, older uses | Whether visible details fit the claimed place and date, and whether the footage was used for an older event. | Whether a clip is synthetic. Real footage can be out of context. |
| 4. Labels and reports | What a platform label or a C2PA / Content Credentials manifest recorded, if still present, plus independent reports. | Truth or ownership. A missing label settles nothing. |
| 5. Decide and keep a record | What you checked, what you found, and that an exact saved file existed no later than a recorded time, with a later copy still matching its SHA-256 fingerprint. | Who made the clip, that it is true, or whether it is synthetic. |
If you may need to stand behind what you saw
If you are allowed to save the clip (check the platform’s rules, and do not save content you have no right to keep), a dated record of the exact file helps later:
- Keep the exact file you saved, not only a re-encoded share copy.
- Make a TimeBind of that file. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. You can later download a Proof of Time Certificate.
- Store the file, the certificate and your notes together. Use the file date and metadata inspector or the file-changed answer to compare a copy later.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15. A TimeBind does not identify synthetic media or verify the contents of a clip.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Verify a viral video in 5 steps: FAQ
Can this course tell me whether a video is AI-generated?
No. No checker on this page, and no tool on this site, can reliably identify synthetic media. The five steps help you check the claim, the earliest source and the context around a clip, and they show where those checks stop. “Unsettled” is a valid result.
Does a TimeBind verify a viral video?
No. A TimeBind shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a later copy still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the clip, that the contents are true, or whether it is synthetic.
Is a reverse video search a single button?
Not usually. Most general-purpose image search tools work on still images, so a common approach is to take several still frames and search those, plus words from the caption or on-screen text. A miss does not prove a clip is new or genuine.
Is it a problem if the clip is real but the claim is wrong?
It is a common finding. Real footage reused for a different place or an older event is out of context, which is a different thing from a synthetic clip. Say which one you found.
Where is my progress saved?
In this browser only, using localStorage. Choices are not sent to TimeBinder and are not tied to your name. Clearing site data, or using another browser, starts the steps again.
Is the course free?
Yes. The five steps and the checks run in your browser at no charge. If you later make a TimeBind, the first Pooled TimeBind is free, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
Related guides and tools
- Spot AI fakes in 5 short lessonsThe first mini-course: labels, reverse image search, voice scams and more
- How to protect yourself from AI forgeriesThe public AI-fakes guide this course sits beside
- Viral product video checkerA situation check for a viral product clip
- Viral AI fakes quizPractice rounds on viral AI claims
- Content Credentials checkerWhat a C2PA manifest can and cannot show
- AI watermark and label decoderWhat a platform label or watermark result can show
- Real or AI? photo quizPractice rounds; spotting by eye is unreliable
- GlossaryPlain definitions of C2PA, SHA-256 and existed no later than
Date the exact files you saved
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file, kept while you still have it.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.
Related glossary entries: keyframe and image-to-video model.