In today’s digital world, distinguishing between real and manipulated content is becoming increasingly difficult. With new technologies like AI making it easier to create fake images and videos combined with an ever-growing volume of content online, misleading information can spread rapidly – shaping opinions, influencing decisions, and even impacting democratic processes.
The VISAVIS Project was created to help counter the spread of misinformation and disinformation by providing people with the tools and skills they need to verify misleading images and videos online. By equipping individuals with accessible digital verification tools and media literacy training, the VISAVIS Project empowers people to take control of their digital experiences and navigate the online world with greater confidence.
While quick and accessible fact-checking is important, misinformation and disinformation are complex problems that require more than just technical solutions. The VISAVIS Project approaches this challenge from two angles. First, it provides practical digital verification tools that allow people to check suspicious images and videos quickly and easily. These tools will help people to determine whether an image has been AI-generated or whether a video has been taken out of context to mislead viewers. However, identifying manipulated media is only part of the solution. Not all AI-generated images or out-of-context videos are necessarily deceptive – memes, satire, and artistic content can use these techniques without intending to mislead.
This is why the VISAVIS Project also takes a long-term approach, focusing on strengthening media literacy and critical thinking. The project is developing engaging educational resources and training programs to help people analyse digital content more effectively, understand how misinformation and disinformation spreads, and recognise the nuances of misleading media. By combining technological solutions with education, the VISAVIS Project aims to empower individuals not only to verify content in the moment but also to develop the critical skills needed to navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape over time.
Our approach
To ensure that our tools and training materials are practical, relevant, and effective, the VISAVIS Project actively involves the public in their development. Through citizen science campaigns in Belgium and Sweden, we will test and refine both the tools and educational materials with the members of the general public. This participatory approach ensures that the project’s solutions are designed to meet real-world needs and are accessible to a broad audience.
The VISAVIS Project is a non-profit project led by a consortium of European organisations specialising in media literacy, digital verification, and misinformation research. The project is a collaboration between imec-SMIT, Mediawijs, CERTH, Filmpedagogerna, and the University of Twente. Funded by the European Media and Information Fund, the project runs from October 2024 to March 2026, with all tools, training materials, and research findings made freely available to the public after the project’s completion.
Find out more about the project partners here.
Find out more details about the project here.
We’re looking for participants to help us test and refine our tools and training materials. If you’re interested, sign up here: [link]
We also welcome collaborations with researchers, media literacy organisations, fact-checkers, educators, and others working in this space. If you’d like to connect or learn more about our project, feel free to contact us.