Friday, December 05, 2025

Digital Forensics, Research and Analytics Centre (D-FRAC) is a non-partisan and independent media organisation which focuses on fact-checking and identifying hate speech. With the popularisation of the internet came the challenge of information overload and often times, our feeds are overpopulated with conflicting, incendiary and false information which is increasingly becoming difficult to ignore and not believe in.

In the era of deep fakes, disinformation and misinformation, we believe in the importance of fact-checking claims that often pose harm to communities and individuals in one way or another. Online hate speech is a type of speech that takes place on the internet with the purpose of attacking a person or a group based on their race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, or gender.

Online hate speech is the expression of conflicts between different groups within and across societies. Online hate speech is a vivid example of how the Internet brings both opportunities and challenges regarding the freedom of expression and speech while also defending human dignity.

While it is very difficult to decipher what is hate speech and what is not, through our opinion pieces we aim to bring to light glaring instances of hate speech which can and do cause serious harm to certain groups of people or individuals.

Editorial Policy:

    • Transparent Approach to Fact-Checking: DFRAC aims to be extremely transparent about the methods and approaches used when it comes to fact-checking. It shall always attempt to explain in detail why something is false or misleading. The organisation aims to create media literacy and encourage its readers to evaluate the claims on their own as well.

    • Nonpartisan Approach: DRFAC is a nonpartisan organisation by nature and does not turn a blind eye to one particular party or ideology. It is committed to providing nonpartisan fact-checks because facts cannot favour or not favour someone.

    • Evidence-Based Analysis: DFRAC uses all available data in the public domain to fact-check a claim. We use tools such as reverse image searches and data analysis along with reaching out to verified resources to make sure that we leave no stone unturned. We always provide links to sources in our fact-checks so that the readers too can read the information for themselves.

Methodology:

  
DFRAC maintains strict separation from political, financial, and partisan influence in both our editorial decisions and fact-checking processes
 
1. How We Select Claims for Fact-Checking
DFRAC monitors a wide range of public-facing information sources to identify claims that require verification. These include:
 
A) Social media platforms (e.g., X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp)
B) Public speeches, interviews, and statements by political leaders, public officials, and other influential figures
C) News channels, digital media outlets, and viral multimedia content
D) Claims submitted by readers
 
A claim is prioritized for fact-checking when one or more of the following conditions are met:
 
A) High Reach or Virality – The claim has spread widely or is rapidly gaining traction.
B) Risk of Harm – The claim could incite hostility, reinforce discrimination, or cause reputational, communal, political, or physical harm. 
C) Public Significance – The claim relates to matters of public safety, governance, civic life, economics, health, or elections.
D) Source Credibility – The claim originates from a verified account, a public office holder, a major media organization, or other influential voice whose statements impact public understanding.
 
2. Our Approach to Evidence and Sources
DFRAC is committed to evidence-based, transparent sourcing, in line with the IFCN Code of Principles. All sources used in a fact-check are clearly cited and, where possible, made available to readers through links or document excerpts.
 
2.1 Primary Sources
Primary sources are the foundation of our verification. We classify evidence as primary when it comes directly from the entity or event being investigated. Examples include:
 
A) Official police documents: FIRs, charge sheets, notifications, station diary entries, or written responses obtained directly from authorized police departments or their official spokespersons.
B) Government documents: Gazette notifications, Ministry publications, Parliament records, RTI responses, court documents, and regulator-issued reports.
C) Institutional and economic data: Central bank reports, official statistical releases, public datasets, and any raw data or first-hand documentation released by relevant institutions.
D) Original multimedia evidence: Photographs, videos, audio recordings, and eyewitness testimonies directly linked to the event/claim.
E) Direct communication: On-the-record responses from officials, subject-matter experts, researchers, or organizations involved in the claim.
 
When foundational primary data is unobtainable, DFRAC uses the highest-level publicly available official release.
 
2.2 Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are used when primary evidence is unavailable, incomplete, or needs contextualization. These may include:
  • Reputable media reports
  • Academic analyses
  • Research papers
  • Expert commentary (only when necessary and clearly attributed)
 3. Verification Techniques and Tools
Our fact-checking process typically includes:
 
  • Reverse image and video search (Google, TinEye, Yandex, InVID, etc.)
  • Geolocation and timestamp verification
  • Social media archive tools (Wayback Machine, Ghost Archive, Archive.fo)
  • Keyword searches and advanced search filters
  • Accessing official portals, government databases, public record systems
  • Contacting institutions, organizations, and individuals for clarification
  • Consulting subject-matter experts for complex or technical claims
 
4. Responsible Use of AI Tools
 
Our AI-assisted workflow includes:
 
AI-Assisted Search or Pattern Recognition: AI tools help identify visual anomalies in images/videos.
 Final Assessment by Human Fact-Checkers : The determination of a claim’s rating (True, False, Misleading, etc.) is made solely by our trained human fact-checkers based on verified primary and secondary evidence.
 
We do not classify AI-generated material as a primary source.
The human-verified analysis, supported by independently validated evidence, is the official basis of our conclusions.
 
5. Writing and Presenting the Fact-Check
Each fact-check aims to provide clear, accessible, and evidence-rich explanations. The structure typically includes:
 
  • Summary of the claim
  • Verdict and evidence-based justification
  • Step-by-step explanation of the verification process
  • Primary and secondary sources cited
  • Links, documents, images, and supporting files
 
6. Updating and Corrections Policy
Information evolves, and so do our fact-checks.
 
  • Developing stories may be updated as new evidence emerges.
  • Updates are marked with timestamps and explanations of what changed.
  • If DFRAC makes an error, we issue a prominent correction with full transparency about the nature of the mistake and the corrected information.
  • Corrections never alter the historical version; previous versions remain accessible or archived.

Correction Policy:

At DFRAC, our team tries to get as close to the truth as possible. But everyone is prone to mistakes once in a while. We encourage our readers to point out any mistakes in our fact-checks through emailing us at : [email protected]. All articles to which corrections have been made will always be marked with a sufficient explanation and updated information. 

Privacy Policy:

  DFRAC immensely values the privacy of our readers and we want to remain as transparent as possible about the kind of information we are using.

 Log Files: DFRAC uses your log files which include internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and the number of clicks to analyse trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. All of this is not personally identifiable.

  • Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to help us understand our reader demographics and behaviours.
  • Cookies: DFRAC’s website uses cookies to store information regarding user-specific functions. The web page’s appearance changes based on the visitor’s browser type. Users can disable cookies through their browser if they wish to do so.
  • Tip Line: We have a contact form on our website for those who wish to contact us and wish to submit a claim they want fact-checked. The information you provide us with here is not used for anything else but to keep a track of the queries and help us respond to your query better.

The legal entity behind DFRAC is a not-for-profit (Section 8) company called REZAVI INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION (CIN: U85300DL2021NPL389131).

Reach Us:

There’s a lot of misinformation and fake news in both mainstream media and on social media including WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Although we try to cover as many fake news possible but there are some which goes unnoticed from our eyes.

Thus, we request you to interact with us and send us claims which can be further investigated by our team to find out the actual reality behind. We will look at the news which are manipulated or shown with missing facts to debunk it and present you the authentic news with the valid facts. The claims which are true or have insufficient data or sources will be informed back to the inquirer.

If you wish to contribute in fact-check, send claims to clarify or have any queries, please contact us at any of our details below:

IFCN Signatory

We are a verified signatory of IFCN since August 2022. 

This badge confirms Digital Forensics, Research and Analytics Centre (D-FRAC) was deemed compliant with the IFCN principles when subjected to the established vetting process and evaluated by external assessors. Through this process, an organization must exhibit a commitment to nonpartisanship and fairness, transparency of sources, transparency of funding and organization, transparency of methodology, and a commitment to open and honest corrections.

 

Profile Link: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/profile/digital-forensics-research-and-analytics-centre-d-frac

 

If you found us violating the IFCN code, you may complaint the IFCN for the same.

https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/complaints-policy