Google Search can now help verify an image’s origins

The tool is accessible from the three-dot menu on image search results. Image: Google

The Verge
Google is starting to roll out its new “About this image” tool, which aims to provide essential background information and context about images in Google Search. The feature was first announced at Google’s I/O developer conference in May, and now it’s rolling out to English users globally. You can access the feature from the three-dot menu that appears in Search and Google Images results. The search giant is also announcing updates to its Fact Check Explorer initiative and AI-powered Search Generative Experience.

The “About this image” tool is designed to show you the origins of an image, including its metadata (when available), and provide vital context about how it’s been described by news and fact-checking sites over time. So you might see the first time the image was indexed by Google Search, and metadata might offer details about whether the image was AI-generated. Google already offers an “About this result” feature to help users vet text-based sources.

The release of the feature comes as huge amounts of disinformation are being spread about the Israel-Hamas war, often in the form of unrelated images being shared out of context. If someone goes looking for the origins of an image shared on social media, the idea is that Google’s tool should help provide them with answers.  MORE