Egyptian social media is a hub of false information ranging from the deliberate bending of facts, unconfirmed and unconfirmable rumors, barely supported, behind-the-scenes allegations and conspiracy theories. Trying to sift through it all is a Herculean task, but that is precisely what “Da Begad?” (Is It Real?) is doing. “Da Begad?” is considered the pioneer among fact-checking initiatives in Egypt and is the most widely used, largely due to the selection of issues its team tackles and the speed at which they do it.

“Da Begad?” describes itself as “an initiative aimed at uncovering the truth” and that seeks to expose “fake news and false information spread on social media or the internet in general.” “We tell the truth with documents, clear sources and evidence,” the site states. “We aim to raise people’s awareness and make them see that not all the stories or news [in circulation] are true, especially if published without a source.” The website stresses, “[Team members] do not belong to any political trend nor are they affiliated with any official or informal body. All members of the team are volunteers.”

The truth-seeking initiative launched in April 2013, when Hani Bahgat, an IT engineer, woke to find his Facebook timeline filled with rumors being passed among his friends. Baghat told Al-Monitor that he decided then and there to launch a fact-verification Facebook page to respond to the rumors and false news, providing a single place for people to point to and turn to for validating information.

An avid-fact checker, Bahgat set to work, researching for hours so he could show his friends which of the rumors they were circulating had some element of truth and which were pure fabrications. His first five posts got likes and comments not only from his friends but also from strangers.