Tsunami: What footage is real and what's fake? #Earthquake #Tsunami #BBCNews

Key Concepts:

• AI-generated content (fake videos)
• Verification of videos and images
• Real vs. fake footage identification
• Geographic location confirmation
• Cross-referencing images and videos
• Use of satellite imagery and Google tools for verification

Verification of Earthquake and Tsunami Footage

The core focus is on distinguishing between genuine and fake footage related to an earthquake in Russia and a tsunami in the Pacific. The BBC Verify team has been actively involved in this process.

Genuine Footage Examples:

• Sea water surging along the coast and chimneys collapsing at Severa Kuriosk: Verified using satellite images from Yandex (Russia's equivalent of Google) to confirm the coastline location.
• Panels falling at an airport: Authenticated by cross-referencing the interiors with images found on Google.
• Aftermath of the quake at a kindergarten: Location pinpointed using Google Street View.
• Video dating back to March 2025: Identified as genuine but not recent.

Fake and Misleading Content:

• AI-generated images: Identified as not real footage.
• Older videos: Circulating and being misrepresented as current events.

Verification Tools and Methods:

• Satellite images (Yandex): Used to confirm geographic locations, specifically coastlines.
• Google Image Search: Employed to cross-reference interiors of buildings (e.g., airport lounge) and verify authenticity.
• Google Street View: Utilized to pinpoint the location of specific sites (e.g., kindergarten).
• Cross-referencing: Comparing details in videos with known information to establish validity.

Spread of Misinformation:

The report highlights that the spread of news and fear related to the tsunami has led to the proliferation of older videos, fake content, and AI-generated images.

Conclusion:

The ability to distinguish between real and fake footage is crucial, especially in the context of rapidly spreading news and potential misinformation. The BBC Verify team uses a combination of satellite imagery, Google tools, and cross-referencing techniques to verify the authenticity of videos and images related to the earthquake and tsunami. The report emphasizes the importance of using these tools to ensure the accuracy of information being consumed.