Digital Truth Toolkit

Warning! These tips may become outdated.

Last Updated: March 2026

For my 8th grade Social studys  project, I had to find a local problem and create a solution. I chose digital and AI literacy because fake information is a huge issue today. Many people struggle to tell if a website is reliable or if something was made by AI.   I know this is a problem because I interviewed several people and found many misunderstandings. Their answers showed that people really need help navigating the digital world.

Trustworthy site or not?

1. Trusted Domain Endings

You can check if a website is safe by looking at the address. If a site ends in .gov or .edu, it is usually very trustworthy because these are restricted to government offices and schools.

2. Reputation and Brand Knowledge

It also helps to think about your previous knowledge and ask if you have ever heard of the site before. Trusted names like the Mayo Clinic or National Geographic are safer than names you have never seen.

3. Strange Payment Methods

Be careful if a site asks for payment methods like gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. These are big red flags because that money cannot be tracked or returned. Most real stores will let you use a credit card or PayPal.

4. Poor Grammar and Spelling

Another sign of a scam is poor grammar and spelling. Large companies spend a lot of money to make their pages look perfect. If you see many typos or sentences that do not make sense, the site was likely made quickly by a scammer.

5. Missing Contact Details

Real businesses will always provide clear contact details like a physical address and a phone number. If a site is missing these or only has a generic form, you should be very careful.

6. Aggressive Pop-ups

Watch out for aggressive pop-ups that fill your screen with ads or scary warnings about viruses. These are often traps to trick you into clicking a link that contains a virus.

7. Prices That Are Too Low

If you see prices that are too low for expensive items, it is often a trap to make you act without thinking. Scammers use these "deals" to get your attention and steal your info.

8. No Privacy Policy

You should look for a Privacy Policy at the bottom of the page. Every legal website must have a page that explains how they handle your data. If it is missing, do not trust them with your information.

9. Broken Links and Buttons

You can test a site by clicking on buttons or social media icons to see if they work. On fake sites, these links are often broken and will lead nowhere or just refresh the page.

10. Browser Security Warnings

If your computer shows a big red security warning, you should always listen to it. Your browser keeps a list of dangerous sites to keep you safe from hackers and should not be ignored.

11. Recent Site Creation

It is a good idea to check how recently a site was created using a "WHOIS lookup" tool. If a famous brand has a website that was only made a few days ago, it is likely a fake "pop-up" scam.

12. Negative Reviews Online

You can search for the site name plus the word "scam" or "reviews" to see what others say. If other people have been cheated, they will often post warnings to help you avoid the same mistake.

Ai Or not?

Pictures

1. The Finger Count

Real hands are hard for computers to draw. In an AI image, you might see people with six fingers or hands that look like they are melting into their pockets.

2. The Text Trap

Look closely at signs or clothing labels. AI often creates letters that look like a strange, alien language instead of real words you can read.

3. Skin That Is Too Smooth

People in AI photos often look like plastic dolls. They usually lack the tiny pores, wrinkles, or small scars that make real human skin look natural.

4. Background Blur Mistakes

In a real photo, the background stays consistent even if it is blurry. AI often makes background objects, like trees or cars, turn into messy blobs that don't match.

5. Floating Jewelry

Check if earrings or glasses are actually touching the person. Sometimes an earring will just hover near an ear, or the frames of glasses will merge directly into the skin.

6. Messy Hair Strands

Real hair has individual strands that fly around. AI hair often looks like it was painted on with a thick brush or looks like soft, blurry cotton candy.

7. Lighting and Shadows

Shadows should always point away from the light. AI sometimes puts a shadow on the left side of a nose even when the sun is clearly shining from that same side.

8. Pattern Breakdowns

If a person is wearing a striped shirt, the lines should follow the folds of the fabric. AI often breaks these patterns or makes them disappear and reappear in the wrong spot.

9. Eye Reflection and Shape

Human eyes usually have matching reflections from the light. In AI images, the reflection in the left eye might be a square while the right eye has a circle or nothing at all.

10. Extra Limbs in Crowds

If there is a crowd in the photo, look for "ghost" arms. You might find a hand resting on a shoulder that doesn't seem to belong to anyone standing nearby.

AI Video

1. Unnatural Eye Movement

In real videos, people blink and look around in a smooth, rhythmic way. AI videos often show characters who never blink at all, or their eyes might seem to jitter and change shape slightly as they move.

2. Shifting Backgrounds

Watch the objects behind a person as they move. In an AI video, a window might turn into a door, or a bookshelf might start to warp and flow like liquid while the camera pans across the room.

3. Audio and Lip Mismatch

Listen carefully to the words being spoken. AI often has trouble matching the exact shape of a mouth to the sounds being made, which can make it look like a poorly dubbed movie from a long time ago.

4. Morphed Limbs

When a person in an AI video walks or waves, their arms and legs might briefly merge with their body or other objects. You might see a hand pass directly through a table instead of resting on top of it.

5. Inconsistent Clothing

Keep an eye on the details of a person’s outfit, like the number of buttons or the pattern on a tie. These details often flicker or change color and shape from one second to the next as the AI tries to keep track of them.

6. Gravity Defying Hair

Real hair moves and bounces based on how a person moves their head. AI hair often looks like it is underwater or stays perfectly still even when a person is running or standing in a strong wind.

7. Weird Reflections

Look at mirrors, water, or shiny surfaces in the video. The reflection in an AI video often shows something completely different from what is actually standing in front of it, or the reflection might be missing entirely.

8. Shadow Ghosts

Shadows in AI videos often detach from the person or object casting them. You might see a shadow moving on its own, or it might disappear and reappear as the person walks across the floor.

9. Glitchy Transitions

When one person walks in front of another, the edges of their bodies might blur together for a moment. This "ghosting" effect happens because the AI is not sure which parts of the image belong to which person.

10. Strange Text and Logos

Just like in photos, text in videos is a major giveaway. A logo on a hat might change into a different symbol every time the person turns their head, making it look unstable and blurry.

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