How we created a fake screenshot in minutes

The basic problem

Every day, thousands of screenshots circulate online. They capture tweets, social-media comments, messages, or public statements.

They often end up being treated as “evidence” in media scandals, employment disputes, or public debates.

But a screenshot is only an image.

And like any other image, it can be edited.

A small experiment

Imagine a simple situation: we have a screenshot of a post from a social platform. At first glance, it looks credible and includes everything people expect to see.

Typically, that means:

• the author’s profile
• the text of the post
• the publication date
• the familiar platform design

And yet such an image can be modified within minutes using an ordinary graphic tool or an online editor.

The text can be changed, the date adjusted, and the entire interface preserved so the result still looks realistic. The outcome can be an image that feels convincing — but does not match reality.

The problem of digital trust

That does not mean every screenshot is fake. But it does mean that without verification, its authenticity cannot be reliably proven.

In practice, that can have serious consequences:

• reputational harm caused by manipulated content
• media scandals built on unverified material
• complications in court proceedings
• the spread of disinformation

Digital content has become part of the public sphere. Yet we still often work with materials whose authenticity we cannot verify.

Why a screenshot is often not enough as evidence

From a legal and practical perspective, a screenshot usually does not prove:

• when it was actually created
• whether it matches the original content
• whether it was later modified
• whether it captures the full context of the communication

Its evidentiary value may therefore be limited, especially if the other side challenges its authenticity.

How to preserve digital content properly

The solution is to capture online content in a way that allows later verification.

Such a record may include, for example:

• a cryptographic fingerprint of the content (hash)
• a verifiable timestamp
• an archived version of the page
• the source URL and metadata

That makes it possible to show that the content existed at a specific time and was not changed afterward.

Technology for verifiable evidence

As digital evidence becomes more important, tools are emerging that make it possible to create such records.

One of them is the Czech project GetProofAnchor, which stores online content together with data that make authenticity verifiable.

The goal is not to decide what is true. The goal is to make truth verifiable.

Conclusion

A screenshot may be a fast and practical way to capture online content. But in an age of digital manipulation, it is often not enough.

If digital content is meant to serve as evidence, it must be possible to prove its origin, integrity, and time of capture.

That is exactly where the future of digital evidence lies.