Verificado19S
Description
Citizen network for collaborative mapping and information verification activated after the September 19, 2017 earthquake in Mexico. A collective of organizations and volunteers recorded damage, buildings at risk, gas leaks, shelters and collection centers in a database and a map (Google Crisis Map), verifying each report with witnesses in the field before publishing it. It fought disinformation with double verification and coordination via Twitter.
Lessons learned
The response worked because of rapid self-organization and field verification, but it was an emergency initiative without a permanent structure: it was deactivated once the crisis passed. Lessons: the value of a double verification protocol against fake news, dependence on third-party platforms (Twitter, Google) as a risk, and the difficulty of sustaining a volunteer network beyond the emergency peak. It serves as a template for future responses, not as a continuous service.