Bizmology |
| Posted: 27 Aug 2010 01:25 PM PDT
That’s exactly what the FTC said this week when it upbraided Reverb Communications for allegedly posting contrived video game reviews on the iTunes Store on behalf of its clients. Officials had accused the California-based company of using employees to pose as users on the digital media store–a practice industry observers call “astroturfing”–violating the FTC Act. Reverb’s settlement is quite possibly the first astroturfing case ever settled with the agency, in which the company admits no wrongdoing. While the games in question were not named, the FTC complaint listed portions of the reviews, including “one of the best apps just got better.” Fake reviews are a more prevalent online problem than most people probably suspect. Consumers depend on reviews for all sorts of product information, and a few baddies have leveraged that trust by posting spam reviews on reputable sites. The problem has become so widespread that firms such as Google are beginning to fight back with software that can detect such reviews. The system is not foolproof, however, and Google has expressed its own concern over balancing the need to target spam with protecting genuine comments. In the meantime, businesses around the world see their requests to remove fake reviews languishing somewhere in the cyberspace vacuum. It’s just one more hurdle to the obstacle course that is policing the Web. Whether you’re a consumer, small business owner, or genuine review poster, it would be time well spent studying the aspects of a fake review. Why not start here? ~ Photo by RebeccaPollard, used under a Creative Commons license. |
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Bizmology Part 1
Bizmology Part 1
Bizmology Part 1
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