DON'T BE FOOLED! Fake photos are popping up everywhere online and spreading virally.

• Position: MEDIA LITERARACY - Brief article

WHY IT'S HAPPENING

Anyone can do it* Tech tools that were once used only by professionals are now widely available and much more sophisticated.

It's hard to spot a fake* A study by Warwick University in England found that people could identify manipulated images only about 60 percent of the time. Even when people did detect a phony pic, most couldn't pinpoint what had been altered.

Fake photos spread quickly* People are more likely to spread fake photos virally than real ones because they're so eye-catching.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Be suspicious* If a...