About this image: Google Creates Tool to Check the Origin of Photos on the Internet
To combat misinformation and hoaxes, Google is extending its "About this image" tool to 40 new languages. This will make it easier to check the origin of photos posted on the Internet and distinguish the authentic from the fake.
At a time when global conflicts are becoming increasingly violent, as in Ukraine and Gaza, social networks are overrun by misinformation. Some Internet users do not hesitate to post images taken out of context or from several years ago to "illustrate" current wars, blatantly lying about their origin. This is exacerbated by increasingly powerful generative AIs capable of creating deceptive images. In this context, Google's latest tool comes at just the right time. Called "About this image," it aims to provide essential contextual information about images in Google search, showing where they have appeared on the Web in the past, similar to what is already available for text sources.
Initially unveiled at Google's I/O developer conference in early 2023, the feature was only available on the U.S. giant's search engine and through Google Images. As the company reports on its blog, it is now available in 40 languages, including French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese. The "About this image" tool is intended to show the origins of a photo to provide essential context on how news sites have described it over time.
For example, it shows the first time the image was indexed by Google Search, as well as metadata, which can indicate whether the image has been generated by artificial intelligence or modified. If it was generated by artificial intelligence, the metadata may indicate the origin of the image. If AI has generated it, the SynthID watermark, developed by Google DeepMind, will also indicate this. The goal is to obtain as much information as possible to assess the authenticity and usefulness of the photo through different sources.
This new tool can be used through the Google Lens option—present in the Google search bar—as well as with "Circle to search," which allows you to circle an element of an image to immediately launch a search. Note that not all Android smartphones have this feature. To use "About this image" with "Circle to search":
- When you are in front of an image whose origin you want to check, activate "Circle to search." To do this, long-press the home button or the navigation bar, depending on whether you are in gesture navigation or three-button navigation.
- Circle or tap on the image in question.
- The Google search results appear. Swipe up to see more results and tap the "About this image" tab just below the search bar.
- Information about the image will appear to give you more context.