How to Distinguish Azerbaijani Disinformation from Real Facts: A Guide

The Information Verification Center has published a comprehensive guide on how to distinguish Azerbaijani disinformation from real facts. Below is the full guide.

“As is known, yesterday, around 12:30, Azerbaijani armed forces attempted to violate the state border of Armenia in a UAZ vehicle towards Tavush, but they were suppressed by the Armenian side and forced back with human losses. The gunfire continues periodically at varying intensities. The Armenian armed forces have no losses, unlike the enemy, which has already reported 4 casualties.”

The border tension is accompanied by cyberattacks from the Azerbaijani side and the dissemination of disinformation by them. As a rule, these are accompanied by false figures about losses in the Armenian armed forces; a vivid example was a report circulated yesterday by a user named David Grigoryan about the death of 30 Armenian soldiers. It is noteworthy that such news often spreads in Facebook groups with a large audience.

The purpose of such fake news is singular: to mislead the audience and cause panic. To avoid falling for provocations, it is vital to maintain a few simple rules when using the internet.

Official Sources

The first and most important rule to follow during days of border tension is to only follow and trust official sources, namely the press release section of the official Ministry of Defense website, the MOD's Facebook page, and the personal page of the press secretary. Also, look to the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, their Facebook page, and the press secretary's page.

For accurate information regarding Artsakh and border tensions, you should utilize the official websites of the Ministry of Defense and Foreign Affairs of Artsakh. Additionally, you can follow the Facebook page of the presidential spokesman of Artsakh, Vahram Poghosyan.

Azerbaijani Sources

Do not trust or, even more critically, spread information from Azerbaijani sources. Especially during heightened border tensions, Azerbaijani news outlets may disseminate information that serves their interests. By sharing their provided information, you become part of Azerbaijani propaganda.

Aside from obvious Azerbaijani sources, there are also Armenian and Russian-language websites that are actually controlled by the adversary and are again engaged in spreading panic. You can familiarize yourself with this list here.

Forgotten Old News

We often encounter articles several years old presented as new information to mislead us. To avoid confusion, it is critical to check the publication date before reading the material. It usually follows the headline in the top left or right corner. However, there are websites that do not indicate the date, and skilled forgers may even alter it, complicating verification.

The exact publication date can be viewed through Facebook by searching for the publication's title or URL code. Here, we can see when it first appeared online. Google also retains data about publications and their dates. For this, it is sufficient to enter the command "Inurl:" followed by the publication's URL code in quotes. If the publication date does not appear, add the command "&as_qdr=y15". Information about publication dates can also be found in Google caches or on archive.org.

Fake Facebook Users

During these days, we may encounter thousands of Facebook users spreading false information, who write in Armenian and seem to possess very important information, but are actually hackers controlled by Azerbaijan who have hacked Armenian pages. Again, we advise sticking to official sources and reporting any disseminated news to the Information Verification Center. We will verify the authenticity of the news as quickly as possible and inform you about it.

It is also crucial not to engage in dialogue with unfamiliar and suspicious-looking users who may attempt to extort information from you regarding the prevailing situation.

Fake Photos

Another important step in verifying information is using online tools. Generally, Azerbaijani disinformation can be identified using Google Image Search, as fake photos, especially of fallen soldiers, are frequently circulated during these days. The usage of the application is simple: upload the photo in the app and see where and in what context it has previously appeared.

Right-clicking the photo should yield the option: "Search Google for this Image." As a result, if you see even one photo taken prior to the specified date, you are dealing with previously published information or a photo taken elsewhere that is being presented as new evidence.

To accurately identify the individuals in the photos, you can use the Yandex search engine by entering the photo link in the search field. This way, you'll see when and where that photo was first published. Often these photos are several years old and not very common among Armenians from less popular social networks.

Video Verification

To understand the authenticity of circulated videos and the correct publication date, you can use the YouTube DataViewer. This tool allows you to check when and on which platform the particular video was previously published. If you encounter a video published with an old date, it is fake and yet another attempt to mislead you.

Videos may often be edited, complicating verification. In such cases, we recommend refraining from sharing the content and sending it to the National Security Service of Armenia.

Fake News Spread in Groups

As already mentioned, the primary tools for the spread of fake news are Facebook groups with large audiences. If you have an active group, temporarily disable the ability for all participants to post, except for administrators and moderators, and filter the information being published in the group. Do not allow your platform to spread panic-causing and suspicious news.