But who is behind the manipulated reviews? “It’s a mix,” says Verheiden. “There could be people selling a product and asking friends to write something positive about it. You can also buy positive reviews from Google for businesses. Or there are groups on Facebook with members willing to give positive reviews for a fee, so it goes from the individual provider to organized groups.
Of course, platforms like Tripadvisor or Google try to prevent ratings manipulation. “Companies like Google, for example, are trying to use artificial intelligence to detect when certain strategies are in the works. And as a restaurant or hotel owner, if you see a fake review, you can report it.” But the reaction is not always prompt, since of course the complaint must be investigated first.
Sometimes companies also work with an outside partner to control revisions. Examples of third-party partners are Trustpilot, Reviewster, or Kiyoh, but they moderate fake reviews with varying degrees of rigor.
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