TruthTracer | AI-Powered Misinformation Detection Platform

A comprehensive misinformation detection platform that uses Perplexity’s Sonar API to analyze claims, trace trust chains, and provide Socratic reasoning for fact verification

TruthTracer is a comprehensive misinformation detection platform that leverages Perplexity’s Sonar API to provide multi-layered claim analysis. The platform combines fact-checking, trust chain tracing, and Socratic reasoning to deliver accurate, evidence-based verification results with confidence scores and detailed sourcing.

Demo

Features

• Multi-method Analysis combining fact-checking, trust chain analysis, and Socratic reasoning
• AI-Powered Verification using Perplexity’s Sonar, Sonar Deep Research, and Sonar Reasoning Pro models
• Real-time Processing with parallel execution of multiple analysis methods
• Evidence-based Results providing sources, confidence scores, and detailed reasoning
• Clean Architecture with NestJS backend and React frontend
• Production-Ready with Docker deployment, comprehensive testing, and API documentation
• Configurable Confidence Scoring with customizable weights and thresholds

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• Perplexity API key (Sonar models access)
• Docker (optional for deployment)
• Git for repository cloning

Installation

# Clone the backend repository
git clone https://github.com/anthony-okoye/truth-tracer-backend.git
cd truth-tracer-backend

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Clone the frontend repository
git clone https://github.com/anthony-okoye/truth-tracer-front.git
cd truth-tracer-front

# Install frontend dependencies
npm install

Configuration

Create .env file in the backend directory:

# Required
SONAR_API_KEY=your_perplexity_api_key
SONAR_API_URL=https://api.perplexity.ai

# Optional configuration
SONAR_TIMEOUT=30000
SONAR_MAX_RETRIES=3
CONFIDENCE_WEIGHT_FACT_CHECK=0.35
CONFIDENCE_WEIGHT_TRUST_CHAIN=0.25
CONFIDENCE_WEIGHT_SOCRATIC=0.20

Usage

1. Start Backend:

   cd truth-tracer-backend
   npm run start:dev

2. Start Frontend:

   cd truth-tracer-front
   npm start

3. Access Application: Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser

4. Analyze Claims:

   • Enter a claim in the text area
   • Click “Analyze Claim” to run fact-checking, trust chain analysis, and Socratic reasoning
   • View results with confidence scores, sources, and detailed explanations

Code Explanation

• Backend: NestJS application with clean architecture following Typescript best practices
• AI Integration: Perplexity Sonar API with three specialized models - Sonar for fact-checking, Sonar Deep Research for trust chain analysis, and Sonar Reasoning Pro for logical evaluation
• Parallel Processing: Simultaneous execution of all three analysis methods for efficient claim verification
• Response Sanitization: Custom JSON parsing and validation to handle various API response formats
• Confidence Scoring: Weighted scoring system combining results from all three analysis methods
• Frontend: React application with intuitive claim submission interface and detailed results visualization
• Testing: Comprehensive test suite including unit tests, end-to-end tests, and claim analysis testing

How the Sonar API Is Used

TruthTracer leverages Perplexity’s Sonar API through three distinct analysis approaches:

// Parallel execution of multiple Sonar models
const [factCheckResult, trustChainResult, socraticResult] = await Promise.all([
  sonarClient.chat.completions.create({
    model: "sonar",
    messages: [{ role: "user", content: factCheckPrompt }],
    max_tokens: 500
  }),
  sonarClient.chat.completions.create({
    model: "sonar-deep-research", 
    messages: [{ role: "user", content: trustChainPrompt }],
    max_tokens: 2500
  }),
  sonarClient.chat.completions.create({
    model: "sonar-reasoning-pro",
    messages: [{ role: "user", content: socraticPrompt }],
    max_tokens: 4000
  })
]);

Links

• Live Demo
• Backend Repository
• Frontend Repository