Tools and tips round up: Using favicons in investigations, analyzing GitHub repos, and an InVID update

From me: false content and viral bonuses at Meta

My final story for ProPublica looked at how Meta’s decision to stop working with U.S. fact-checkers came at the same time as it’s revamping a program to pay bonuses to creators with high engagement numbers. I looked at how this could set the stage for a return of the viral Facebook hoax, which experienced a heyday prior to Meta partnering with fact checkers. (In 2015, I published Lies, Damn Lies & Viral Content, a research report on the viral hoax economy.)

As part of my reporting I found 95 Facebook pages with a total of more than 7.7 million followers that regularly post made-up headlines designed to draw engagement. After a review, Meta said it had removed 81 pages for being managed by fake accounts or misrepresenting themselves as American while posting about politics and social issues.

I will continue reporting on this and related topics. Feel free to reach out with tips and feedback.

Tools

📍 OSINT Switzerland shared a technique for identifying the date of when a LinkedIn profile picture was uploaded. (via The OSINT Roundup)

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