The Internet is full of lies.
Protect yourself with our
Free Fact Checker.
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Get Started
- Install the Ask Steve browser extension.
- Press the
Fact Check this button and you'll see a message asking you to login and add a Google Gemini API Key. Follow the instructions to do so. Here's a video that walks through the process. - Go to a new web page or reload an existing one. Now you can highlight any statement and press the Fact Check this button to get an instant fact check.
How it Works
The Free Fact Checker is built in to a free browser extension called Ask Steve which lets you get 1-click AI help in your browser.
Your highlighted text is sent to Google Gemini, which tries to find data about it using Google Search through a process called grounding. If it can, it will return a result, often with citations and suggestions for additional Google searches.
If it can't find any data, it will say so. You will never get an AI's "opinion" of the answer, only answers grounded in Google Search. Sometimes you might need to try a few times. It's certainly not perfect, but it's good enough!
Frequently Asked Questions
What sites does it work on?
The Free Fact Checker works on any site where you can highlight text in a browser. Try it on Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky, Reddit, major news sites, and most other sites.
Why should I use this?
It's hard to know what to believe online. There are people out there intentionally trying to manipulate your opinion and feed you mis- and disinformation.
Social media companies have largely given up defending against this, so we have to protect ourselves. But manually verifying everything you read is so time consuming that it's basically impossible. The Free Fact Checker helps make that quicker and easier.
Social media companies have largely given up defending against this, so we have to protect ourselves. But manually verifying everything you read is so time consuming that it's basically impossible. The Free Fact Checker helps make that quicker and easier.
Can I trust this?
The Free Fact Checker uses Google Search. To the degree that you trust Google Search, you can trust this.
Don't LLMs hallucinate?
Yes they do. By "grounding" the results in Google Search results, the Free Fact Checker is giving the AI/LLM the real information it needs in order to verify your statement. This is why if Google Search can't find any information to ground the statement in facts, the Free Fact Checker will tell you that it can't find anything, instead of giving you an AI's "opinion".
Note that at the end of the day all the info is still being processed by an AI/LLM and the facts are coming from Google Search. Follow the cited links or click the Google suggested searches to dive deeper.
Note that at the end of the day all the info is still being processed by an AI/LLM and the facts are coming from Google Search. Follow the cited links or click the Google suggested searches to dive deeper.
Is it really free?
Yes. Ask Steve is free to use with a Gemini API Key, and you can get a free Gemini API Key from Google in most countries. The Free Fact Checker will remain available and free for as long as Google provides this service. Google lets you make 500 grounding requests per day on their free plan.
Gemini Pricing Models
The tradeoff that you make with their free plan is that they reserve the right to use your data for training purposes.
Gemini Pricing Models
The tradeoff that you make with their free plan is that they reserve the right to use your data for training purposes.
What is an API Key?
An API Key is like a password for one piece of software to talk to another one. In this case, the API Key that you're getting from Google Gemini enables Ask Steve and the Free Fact Checker to connect to Gemini on your behalf.
Why do I need to put in an API Key?
If we ran your requests through our server, Google would charge us for them and then we'd have to charge you. By using your own API Key, everyone gets to use the Free Fact Checker for free.
Can I fact check a whole page?
No. While most Ask Steve Tools can use whole pages, the Free Fact Checker requires you to select a statement to fact check.
Is my usage being tracked?
No. There is no tracking in Ask Steve.
Permissions & Your Data
Permissions & Your Data
What browsers does it work in?
The Free Fact Checker should work in all Chromium-based browsers including Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Arc and Opera.
Supported Browsers
Supported Browsers
Does it work on my phone?
No, it only works in desktop browsers.
How do I get it if I already have Ask Steve?
Can I customize how it works?
Yes - there are several things you can customize - this video demonstrates them.
Customizing the Free Fact Checker
Customizing the Free Fact Checker
What countries does it work in?
The Free Fact Checker only works in countries where you can get a Gemini API Key. Free Gemini Keys are not available in all countries.
Gemini API Supported Countries
Gemini API Supported Countries
How can I share this?
Press the buttons on this page, or tell people to go to FreeFactChecker.com