Apple boots app that called BS on fake Amazon reviews from App Store

https://mashable.com/article/apple-app-store-removed-fakespot-fake-amazon-reviews

by alistairSH • 5 years ago

38 19 5 years ago

mashable.com

amelius• 5 years ago

Can't we have a law that says that companies who sell stuff can't be the same companies who provide the reviews?

eps• 5 years ago

This won't help much. Reviews will remain gamed.

sneak• 5 years ago

Discontent is not allowed in censorship marketplaces.

This is why jwz had to censor his covid virus animated screensaver to keep the foss xscreensaver in the App Store.

Apple are jerks.

kekebo• 5 years ago

Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27861813

null_object• 5 years ago

While I'm really tired of what's become a terrible buying experience on Amazon - where even trying to ascertain which Kindle version of a classic book you're actually buying has become almost insurmountably difficult - the headline and article itself really goes out of its way to suggest that the Fakespot developers have been 'stitched-up' by some sort of shady 'big-corp' secret deal between Apple and Amazon, which the stated facts in the article (such as they are) doesn't seem to support, at all.

AuthorizedCust4• 5 years ago

Why do we trust Fakespot? I’ve found their (secret) algorithm to have questionable results. Just yesterday, its analysis highlighted a positive review as the top negative review for a product. I’ve come across several examples of crap products with gamed reviews (evidenced by negative reviews with documentation) that it didn’t detect.

Also, there are concerns about how much of our data their browser plug-in is vacuuming up.

deregulateMed• 5 years ago

Why do we trust the company that bans pro-freedom Apps for dictators, hands your emails and data over to the US government, bans competition, and lies about hardware issues?

AuthorizedCust4• 5 years ago

Relative privation fallacy here. Amazon’s issues do not make Fakespot OK. I’m asking about Fakespot.

NicoJuicy2• 5 years ago

That's a very weird remark. You could say that same about any company and you haven't given any reasonable accusation for it.

Source of browser plugins can be viewed and people.

Considering the other thread, many people found it useful and Amazon clearly doesn't recognize the problem. While we all know it is one ( fake reviews).

AuthorizedCust4• 5 years ago

I’m suggesting that Fakespot might not be effective at weeding out fake reviews. We can’t see their core algorithm. We don’t know how they determine a score. Often times, their scoring feels as good as random selection.

underseacables• 5 years ago

Conversely I’ve come across great results using Fakespot. Looking at their analysis of pricing over time has told me when I should not buy a product, and I appreciate when they show me reviews that they believe are suspicious. I commend you for placing so much trust in Amazon, I’ve never seen anyone else like you, but the experience and trust level for the rest of us on Amazon is severely low.

AuthorizedCust4• 5 years ago

Strawman and false dichotomy fallacies here. 1. I didn’t say Amazon is great, but that’s what you’re responding to. 2. There are more choices than a. Amazon is great and b. Fakespot is great.

I really don’t know who to trust. Fakespot has had far too many problems. My current method is to mainly check 2 and 3 star reviews, hoping for maximum truthiness.

wayneftw• 5 years ago

It doesn't matter if you trust their app or not anymore. You don't have that choice because Apple took it away from you.

seba_dos1• 5 years ago

boots

Damn that's a confusing term to be used in such context.

yalogin• 5 years ago

What is the main problem on Amazon? Is it fake reviews? The glut of cheap knock-offs? Or Amazon itself manufacturing popular items thereby using the store as a free channel for testing out what works?

I am trying to understand fake reviews, is the issue competitors destroying their competition with fake reviews or products paying for reviews of their own products?

jitl• 5 years ago

Every product is rated 4.5 stars with 2000+ reviews when I search, which I find highly untrustworthy

amanaplanacanal2• 5 years ago

Apple says on the article that this is a dispute about IP. It would be nice to hear what that is exactly, as the article didn't even go into it.

Apple boots app that called BS on fake Amazon reviews from App Store

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