Month: September 2018

How to Check Images for Authenticity

In the days before the internet, seeing used to be believing. Now in the days of Photoshop and the frenzy on social media to share photos and images, it is easy to be deceived by altered and fake photos unless you are careful.

Why Fake Photos?

Some people do it just for fun as they play around with Photoshop and similar image editing software. Others want to create a “wow” image that will get them a lot of likes and shares on social media, which can translate into more traffic, subscribers and sales.

Still others are deliberately trying to deceive people in order to sway opinion and manipulate people, such as in the run-up to the 2016 elections in the United States. For example, Russian operatives set up hundreds of sites with thousands of images showing direct bias against immigrants. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fake-views-russians-posting-doctored-images-on-facebook-exploited-loophole-2018-02-23

There are fact-checking and image-checking sites available, but it would be a full-time job to check everything you see being posted. And most biased people are not going to care anyway, but just hit the share button.

However, if you care about whether or not the photos you see are authentic, here are some ways to spot the fakes.

1. Look for Strange Angles

You can often tell if something has been inserted by the fact that the angles don’t match those of other items in the photo. Inserting an extra person into a photo is a common scam but there will usually be something odd about it.

2. Watch Out for Strange Shadows and Lighting

Similarly, inserting an extra element into a photo often doesn’t work because of light and shade in the photo, and color mismatch as a result.

3. Do a Reality Check on the Location of the Photo

Is it an actual photo of the location it claims to be? A supposed “huge” rally for Donald Trump in Arizona posted on his Twitter account was spotted by Cleveland natives as being their home town in the middle of the Cavaliers’ basketball championship parade through downtown.

A current popular fake photo of the world’s supposed largest snake shows a scaled-up anaconda on completely the wrong continent.

4. Check the Quality

In some cases, one part of the photo might be grainy or blurred, the other clear – again showing an insertion of something that was never there in the first place.

5. Compare to Similar Photos Online

You can check Google images, which will usually show more than one copy of the same photo. In some cases, you will find sites that have added things and in some cases, even taken things away. One newspaper was caught routinely editing out Hillary Clinton from photos of important political events.

6. Use Tools

There are a number of useful tools which can help you detect image fraud if you still can’t tell after your own commonsense reality check.

* TinEye – https://www.tineye.com/

This is a reverse image search to help you find the originals of photos. There are more than 17 billion searchable images in the interface.

* Google Images reverse search – https://images.google.com/

Enter the url to locate the original.

* Izitru – https://www.izitru.com/

This tool will run photos through several layers of certification to see whether or not it has been altered in some way. It will then assign a trust rating to the image.

* FotoForensics – http://fotoforensics.com/

This will also give you detailed information about a photo and whether or not it has been edited. It is a bit complicated to use; however, if you are a media professional buying what you hope to be authentic photos from reputable photographers, it is worth using.

How to Avoid Plastic Leaching into Your Food

A growing body of research has uncovered the dangers of the various chemicals in plastic leaching into our food and drink. There is now a range of BPA-free plastic water bottles as a result, but that is the tip of the iceberg when we are surrounded by so much plastic, and the food and takeaway industries seem driven by plastics.

Here are some suggestions as to how you and your family can avoid the toxins in plastics.

1. Skip the Bottled Water

Get a filter for your tap and use a stainless steel water bottle.

2. Buy Your Eggs in Cardboard Boxes

Stay away from the polystyrene.

3. Adopt a Clean Eating Lifestyle

Frozen foods such as TV dinners are usually packaged in plastic trays. Never heat the food in a plastic tray because it can break down into the food. Instead, cook from scratch and use glass food storage containers with covers to make the most of your meals and even create your own TV dinners at home.

4. Skip the Tetra Paks

Tetra Paks are coated with plastic to make them waterproof. Buy milk and juice in glass bottle.

5. Use Concentrated Juices

In the freezer section, you can find frozen juice concentrate for apple, orange and more. Defrost and dilute the contents according to the package instructions and place in a glass bottle or jar. This will cut down on the number of plastic bottles you buy and the amount of gasoline and elbow grease you spend lugging heavy bottles from the store.

6. Invest in a SodaStream

If soda is a priority for your family, consider investing in the SodaStream system with its reusable stainless bottles. Drinks cans are actually coated with plastic, and of course, plastic soda bottles also up your risk of plastic leaching into your drinks. Coca-Cola can actually take the paint off cars, so think what it can do to a plastic bottle or can.

7. Bring Reusable Containers to the Deli Counter

This will skip all the wrapping and plastic bags.

8. Buy Beans in Bulk

Tin cans are lined with plastic as well. Buy dried beans in bulk, boil them up, and use them with all your healthy recipes and soups.

9. Skip the Saran Wrap

Don’t wrap your food in plastic. Try waxed paper instead.

10. Bring Your Glass Containers to the Takeaway

It’s a nice change to get a takeout, but many come in plastic containers or polystyrene. The restaurants also tend to give you a lot of plastic utensils. Ask them to put the meal in your container/s and say no to plastic cutlery.

11. Break Your Coffee Shop Habit

Disposable coffee cups are coated with plastic and the covers are plastic. The heat of the coffee makes it more likely the plastic will leach into your drink.

12. Watch Out with Baby Bottles, Nipples and Sippy Cups

Many of these contain plastic or are coated with plastic. Look for toxin-free baby products.

13. Beware Melamine and Plastic Plates for Children

Melamine is a form of plastic commonly uses for serving plates and bowls, but studies have shown they leach considerably if you add hot soup to them. Use a small, non-breakable glass plate or non-toxic serving ware instead.

14. Use Stainless Steel Lunchboxes

They are more durable and there is no risk of leaching.

Follow these tips to minimize the amount of plastic leaching into your food and drink. The environment will benefit too.