Verification of open source information Berkeley-Protocol
Verification is broken down into three separate considerations: the source, the digital item or file, and the content, which should be looked at collectively and compared for consistency.
- Source analysis
– Source analysis is the process of assessing a source’s credibility and reliability
(a) Provenance
Provenance relates to the origin or earliest known existence of something
(b) Credibility
A source’s posting history, online activity and Internet presence may contain relevant
information that weighs against or in favour of a source’s credibility
(c) Independence and impartiality
This can be done by looking at any groups, organizations or affiliations with which individuals are associated, as well as how they make money and from whom they receive funding
(d) Specificity
The more precise the information and claims,the easier they will be to prove or disprove. Broad and vague claims tend to be more difficult to critically assess.
(e) Attenuation
Texts drafted contemporaneously with the events that they reference tend to be viewed as more reliable than those produced long after the events have occurred
- Technical analysis
Technical analysis refers to the analysis of a digital item itself, whether it is a document, image or video
(a) Metadata
Metadata are data that describe and give information about other data
(b) Exchangeable image file format data
Exchangeable image file format is a type of metadata that specifies the formats for images, sound and ancillary tags used by digital cameras, scanners and other systems handling image and sound files recorded by digital cameras.
(c) Source code
The source code is the programming behind any web page or software
- Content analysis
Content analysis is the process by which the information contained within a video, image, document or statement is assessed for its authenticity and veracity
(a) Unique identifiers
Such features might include buildings, flora and fauna, people, symbols and insignia.
(b) Objectively verifiable information
For example, the weather on a specific day, the name and rank of a commanding officer or the location of a building could all be objectively verifiable
(c) Geolocation
Geolocation is the identification or estimation of the location of an object, an activity or the location from which an item was generated.
(d) Chronolocation
Chronolocation is the corroboration of the dates and times of the events depicted in a piece of information, usually visual imagery
(e) Completeness
Therefore, when collecting open source information, it is important to capture a target file in its entirety and, when relevant, to capture the surrounding context.
(f) Internal consistency
An internally consistent piece or body of information should not contradict itself.
(g) External corroboration