# Can you find a source image from Facebook if Google image search doesn't find it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-find-a-source-image-from-facebook-if-google-image-search-doesnt-find-it/827307>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 6, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-find-a-source-image-from-facebook-if-google-image-search-doesnt-find-it/827307 "2019-01-06T19:48:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JakeRS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-find-a-source-image-from-facebook-if-google-image-search-doesnt-find-it/827307/1 "2019-01-06T19:48:52Z")

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I am using a website where you talk to foreigners, exchange post, practice languages,etc. and recently there’s been many fake profiles for whatever reason, most are easy to spot by the effortless description (i’m a passionate woman who needs a real man type of crap), however there’s many fake profiles who put in the effort to make the profile look real, they add photos that can’t be traced via google image search (I suppose Facebook photos), so is there any way to find the source image?

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**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-find-a-source-image-from-facebook-if-google-image-search-doesnt-find-it/827307/2 "2019-01-06T19:56:19Z")

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You could try TinEye search. I don’t know how it compares to Google Image Search though.

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-find-a-source-image-from-facebook-if-google-image-search-doesnt-find-it/827307/3 "2019-01-06T20:58:44Z")

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If they are using a “stock” image, it’s possible the [image metadata](https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/image-metadata) (if it exists) would help. Unless you have Photoshop, GIMP, or other quality graphics tool you need an exif reader/viewer. [Adobe Bridge](https://www.adobe.com/products/bridge.html) is good, and it’s free.

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**Author:** ![JakeRS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-find-a-source-image-from-facebook-if-google-image-search-doesnt-find-it/827307/4 "2019-01-06T21:29:50Z")

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It’s not a stock image, I think it’s a photo someone uploaded on Facebook, probably someone with privacy settings set so that only their friends can see the photos, which makes things hard. There’s 3 pics, 2 of which have a Golden retriever on them and if I google search, it doesn’t give any results, any different sizes,etc, it only recognizes the dog, but I upload to google a pic of my dog that’s nowhere else on the internet and it will also write something like “dog”, other than that…nothing.

I tried TinEye, but nothing on all 3 photos.

Also, in this particular case the person who is using the photos on that website is representing themselves with a name and last name used only by Indonesian people, I searched on Facebook for that name or last name and all were Indonesians, despite this girl looking Scandinavian/German, so I am 110% sure it’s a fake profile, I’d just like to find a way to find the source photos.