Misinformation evolution tracker

Every Story Changes. Trace How.

Discover how information evolves, where meaning shifts, and how misinformation can emerge as stories spread.

One claim is enough. Predictions are hypothetical forecasts, not real sources or recorded events.

Example prediction · not a real claim
Example graph: an original claim about screen time and sleep becomes a causal claim, then a certainty-boosted claim about phones.Original claimA study found an associationbetween screen time andsleep duration.Altered versionScreen time reduces sleep.More distortedScientists prove phones causeserious sleep problems.Correlation → causationCertainty inflatedIllustrative example — not an analysis of real sources.
Example graph: an original claim about screen time and sleep becomes a causal claim, then a certainty-boosted claim about phones.Original claimA study found an associationbetween screen time andsleep duration.Altered versionScreen time reduces sleep.More distortedScientists prove phones causeserious sleep problems.Correlation → causationCertainty inflatedIllustrative example — not an analysis of real sources.

How it works

Three steps from one claim to its possible futures.

You supply the starting statement. EchoTrace predicts how its meaning could shift, then shows the reasoning behind every branch.

  1. 01

    Enter a claim

    Enter one statement you want to investigate. EchoTrace analyses its meaning, its certainty and its limits, then predicts how it could be distorted.

    No additional statements are required. You never build the graph yourself.

  2. 02

    AI predicts the evolution

    EchoTrace generates possible changes in wording, context, certainty and emotional framing, then predicts how those changes could develop further — branching into multiple generations.

    Every generated statement is a hypothetical prediction. It is not a quotation, a real source, or a record of how a story actually spread.

    Illustration: statements arrive in any order, the AI compares their meaning, and the related ones become a branching graph.AISOURCE CLAIMSCOPE SHIFTCAUSATIONOne claim. Several plausible futures.
  3. 03

    Explore the evolution graph

    Explore the AI-generated branches to understand how the original meaning could change across multiple generations. Select any statement or arrow to see exactly what shifted and why the distortion is plausible.

    Forecasts show what could happen — not what did happen. Treat each branch as a scenario to examine, not a proven path.

    Illustration: selecting a connection opens an explanation panel beside the graph.Source claimA study found anassociation betweenscreen time and sleep.DriftedScreen time is linkedto shorter sleep in teens.DISTORTED · SELECTEDScreen time reduces sleep.Correlation → causationClick an arrow to read the changeEvidence in the panel

Reading the graph

Five marks to read any graph.

Every mark answers one question. The graph is a map of possible transformations, not a timeline.

Example graphAnnotated example graph with numbered markers for nodes, arrows, labels, branches, evidence and unconnected statements.Original claimA study found anassociation betweenscreen time and sleep.DriftedScreen time is linked toshorter sleep in teens.DistortedScreen time reducessleep duration.DetachedScientists prove phonescause serious sleepproblems.Not connectedThe city opened a newlibrary on Monday.Scope shiftCorrelation → causationCertainty inflated12345

  1. Nodes

    Each card is one statement. The original claim is the baseline; the band above a card shows how far its meaning has moved.

  2. Arrows and labels

    An arrow points from a statement to a predicted next step. The pill names the kind of change: false certainty, missing context, causation, emotional framing and so on.

  3. Branches

    One claim can evolve in several directions at once. A branch is an alternative future, not a sequence, and not proof that one version caused another.

  4. Evidence

    Open an arrow to see the wording that changed, why the distortion is plausible, and what information was lost. Every prediction is labelled hypothetical.

  5. Not connected

    A statement with no defensible relationship stays off to the side. EchoTrace reports that instead of inventing a connection.

Documented

Source evidence shows that one statement led to the other. This applies to the evidence-analysis mode, not to predictions.

Inferred

A plausible transformation found by the model. In prediction mode, every step is inferred: a scenario, not a recorded path.

Weak link

A connection is possible, but the material is too thin to defend. Shown as a weak link.

Mutation categories

Every change has a name.

EchoTrace classifies each step by the kind of distortion it introduces, so patterns are easier to spot across a whole story.

  • Correlation → causation

    Two things going together is restated as one thing producing the other.

  • Certainty shift

    Hedged language ('may', 'suggests') hardens into proof, or hard evidence is softened away.

  • Context dropped

    Qualifiers disappear: who was studied, how many, for how long, and what the authors warned.

  • Exaggeration

    Intensity or severity is added that the source never measured.

  • Attribution shift

    An unnamed study becomes 'scientists', 'doctors', or an institution — borrowed authority.

  • Scope shift

    The subject or population changes, so a narrow finding travels somewhere it was never tested.

  • Quantifier drift

    Numbers and amounts change: 'slightly', '30%', 'some' become 'all' or 'millions'.

  • Omission

    A load-bearing part of the evidence is silently removed.

  • New claim added

    A conclusion appears that the source never contained — often a clinical or predictive claim.

  • Faithful restatement

    Reworded without changing strength, scope or evidence. Useful as a control.

Ready when you are

Bring a claim. See what it became.

Start with one statement and the versions you have. EchoTrace maps the relationships and shows the evidence behind each one.

You can return to this page at any time.

All illustrations on this page are fixed examples, not analysis results. EchoTrace analyses only the statements you provide.